North West (TSE:NWC) Hits New 1-Year High at $43.88

The North West Company Inc. (TSE:NWC)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as C$43.88 and last traded at C$43.62, with a volume of 40509 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$43.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on NWC shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on North West from C$41.00 to C$44.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. TD Securities increased their price objective on shares of North West from C$47.00 to C$52.00 in a research note on Tuesday. CIBC raised their price objective on shares of North West from C$43.00 to C$44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on North West from C$38.00 to C$40.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on North West from C$41.00 to C$43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of C$44.60.

North West Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is C$40.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$39.71. The firm has a market cap of C$2.09 billion, a PE ratio of 16.22, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 57.45.

North West (TSE:NWC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 5th. The company reported C$0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of C$0.54 by C($0.01). The firm had revenue of C$617.52 million during the quarter. North West had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 5.23%. On average, research analysts forecast that The North West Company Inc. will post 3.3474801 EPS for the current fiscal year.

North West Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. North West’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.43%.

Insider Transactions at North West

In related news, Director George Mcconnell Daniel sold 5,665 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.54, for a total value of C$240,989.10. In other news, Senior Officer John King sold 5,230 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.70, for a total value of C$223,321.00. Also, Director George Mcconnell Daniel sold 5,665 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$42.54, for a total transaction of C$240,989.10. Insiders have sold a total of 11,662 shares of company stock worth $497,015 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About North West

The North West Company Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the retail of food and everyday products and services to rural communities and urban neighborhood markets in northern Canada, rural Alaska, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. The company operates Northern stores, which offers food, financial services, and general merchandise; NorthMart stores that provides fresh food products, apparel, and health products and services; and Quickstop convenience stores that provides ready-to-eat food products, and fuel and related services.