Northwest Pipe (NASDAQ:NWPX) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Northwest Pipe (NASDAQ:NWPX) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $50.71 and last traded at $50.50, with a volume of 39338 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.26.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on NWPX. StockNews.com upgraded Northwest Pipe from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Northland Securities cut Northwest Pipe from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $50.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday. Finally, Northland Capmk cut Northwest Pipe from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Northwest Pipe presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.00.

Northwest Pipe Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 3.20, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $518.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50-day moving average of $43.84 and a 200-day moving average of $38.60.

Insider Activity at Northwest Pipe

In related news, EVP Miles Brittain sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total transaction of $188,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,083,450.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Northwest Pipe news, EVP Miles Brittain sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total value of $188,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,083,450.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Megan A. Kendrick sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.22, for a total value of $44,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,725 shares in the company, valued at $430,039.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,500 shares of company stock valued at $275,140. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Pipe

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Northwest Pipe by 1,857.6% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 646 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 613 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northwest Pipe during the first quarter valued at $95,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northwest Pipe by 120.2% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 3,462 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $120,000 after purchasing an additional 1,890 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northwest Pipe during the third quarter valued at $165,000. Finally, Semanteon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Northwest Pipe during the third quarter valued at $230,000. 80.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Northwest Pipe

Northwest Pipe Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and supply of water-related infrastructure products in North America. It operates in two segments, Engineered Steel Pressure Pipe (SPP) and Precast Infrastructure and Engineered Systems (Precast). The SPP segment offers large-diameter and high-pressure steel pipeline systems for use in water infrastructure applications, which are primarily related to drinking water systems.