Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported ($0.73) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.82) by $0.09, Zacks reports. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 8.60%. The company had revenue of $164.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.66 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.71) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Northwest Natural Gas updated its FY 2025 guidance to 2.750-2.950 EPS.

Northwest Natural Gas Trading Up 0.4%

NWN stock traded up $0.20 on Friday, reaching $46.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 214,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 265,109. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.20. The firm has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of 18.49 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. Northwest Natural Gas has a 12-month low of $38.03 and a 12-month high of $47.79.

Northwest Natural Gas Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on NWN shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised Northwest Natural Gas to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, BTIG Research upgraded Northwest Natural Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.67.

Insider Transactions at Northwest Natural Gas

In other Northwest Natural Gas news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 10,509 shares of Northwest Natural Gas stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total transaction of $472,905.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 51,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,336,490. The trade was a 16.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold 42,869 shares of company stock valued at $1,882,588 over the last ninety days. 0.84% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NWN. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 5.6% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 106,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,554,000 after purchasing an additional 5,644 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 17.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 164,729 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,037,000 after buying an additional 24,906 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 650.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 64,966 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,775,000 after buying an additional 56,314 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 28.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 6,446 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,431,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

About Northwest Natural Gas

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.