Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Northwest Natural Gas Company $NWN

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN) by 0.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,758,798 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 24,244 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.81% of Northwest Natural Gas worth $213,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NWN. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 12.1% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 52,249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,348,000 after acquiring an additional 5,645 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Northwest Natural Gas by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,519 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 1,596 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 159,691 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,175,000 after purchasing an additional 22,307 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 738.4% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 72,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,239,000 after purchasing an additional 63,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 132,874 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,970,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NWN. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Northwest Natural Gas from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.33.

Northwest Natural Gas Stock Up 5.6%

NWN stock opened at $53.11 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.10 and a beta of 0.54. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a 52 week low of $38.94 and a 52 week high of $53.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $47.78 and a 200 day moving average of $45.93.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.03. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The business had revenue of $394.16 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $419.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. Northwest Natural Gas’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Northwest Natural Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.97 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.8%. This is an increase from Northwest Natural Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Northwest Natural Gas’s payout ratio is presently 70.86%.

Northwest Natural Gas News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Northwest Natural Gas this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat — NWN reported $1.39 EPS vs. the consensus $1.36, showing continued profitability strength and helping drive the stock higher. Northwest Natural (NWN) Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance provided at $2.950–$3.150, which sits around street expectations and reduces near‑term uncertainty about earnings growth — a catalyst cited in market writeups for the share move. Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Shares Rise on EPS Guidance Update
• Positive Sentiment: Company statement: NW Natural Holdings said it delivered record 2025 results across its businesses, supporting a constructive near‑term narrative around operational performance. NW Natural Holdings Delivers Record 2025 Results Across All Businesses
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and management commentary are available for detail on rate cases, capex and margin drivers — useful for evaluating whether guidance is sustainable. Northwest Natural Holding Company (NWN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations — $394.2M reported vs. ~$419M consensus — which could raise questions about volume or commodity pass‑throughs and partially offsets the EPS beat. Northwest Natural Q4 release and materials

Northwest Natural Gas Company Profile

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE: NWN), commonly known as NW Natural, is a publicly traded energy utility primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company operates an extensive pipeline network spanning thousands of miles across Oregon and southwest Washington. Its core business activities include gas procurement, system operation and maintenance, safety inspections and customer service support.

Dating back to the mid-19th century, Northwest Natural traces its origins to the Portland Gas Light Company, which first illuminated Portland streets with manufactured gas in 1859.