Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the four brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $45.20.

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of Northwest Natural in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $39.00 price objective for the company.

Northwest Natural Stock Up 3.0 %

NWN stock opened at $37.70 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.86. Northwest Natural has a one year low of $34.95 and a one year high of $48.37. The company has a fifty day moving average of $36.75 and a 200-day moving average of $37.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a PE ratio of 14.50 and a beta of 0.57.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.31 by ($0.10). Northwest Natural had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 7.52%. The company had revenue of $355.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $368.78 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.36 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Northwest Natural will post 2.27 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.488 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.18%. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NWN. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Northwest Natural during the first quarter worth approximately $93,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 686.5% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 15,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $613,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,350,387 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $169,404,000 after purchasing an additional 65,443 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Company Profile

Northwest Natural Holding Company, through its subsidiary, Northwest Natural Gas Company, provides regulated natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the United States. The company operates a mist gas storage facility contracted to other utilities, third-party marketers, and electric generators; offers natural gas asset management services; and operates an appliance retail center.