Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Issues FY 2025 Earnings Guidance

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) issued an update on its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 2.750-2.950 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.910. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Northwest Natural Gas Price Performance

NYSE NWN opened at $46.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of 18.52 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.68. The business’s fifty day moving average is $43.97 and its 200 day moving average is $42.14. Northwest Natural Gas has a fifty-two week low of $38.03 and a fifty-two week high of $47.79.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.08. The company had revenue of $236.19 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $252.70 million. Northwest Natural Gas had a return on equity of 8.60% and a net margin of 8.34%. Sell-side analysts predict that Northwest Natural Gas will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Northwest Natural Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. This is a boost from Northwest Natural Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. Northwest Natural Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on NWN shares. BTIG Research upgraded Northwest Natural Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded Northwest Natural Gas to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Northwest Natural Gas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.67.

Insider Activity at Northwest Natural Gas

In related news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 10,509 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $472,905.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 51,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,336,490. The trade was a 16.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 42,869 shares of company stock valued at $1,882,588 in the last quarter. 0.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural Gas

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 5.1% in the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 12,410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $493,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 7.6% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 12,379 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $492,000 after buying an additional 875 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas during the second quarter worth approximately $421,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas during the second quarter worth approximately $415,000. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 65.9% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,191 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 3,650 shares during the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Gas 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.