Brokerages Set Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) PT at $45.20

Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the four analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.20.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northwest Natural

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Northwest Natural in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $93,000. CWM LLC boosted its position in Northwest Natural by 686.5% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 913 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd boosted its position in Northwest Natural by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 15,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $613,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Northwest Natural by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 679 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Northwest Natural by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,350,387 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $169,404,000 after buying an additional 65,443 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Northwest Natural stock opened at $37.68 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.58. Northwest Natural has a 1-year low of $34.95 and a 1-year high of $48.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 0.57.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.21 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $355.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $368.78 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.36 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Northwest Natural will post 2.27 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given 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 payout ratio is currently 75.00%.

About Northwest Natural

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.