Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $53.66 and last traded at $53.4510, with a volume of 97004 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $52.83.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Northwest Natural Gas from $52.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Northwest Natural Gas from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northwest Natural Gas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $53.33.

Northwest Natural Gas Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.65. The company has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.34 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $394.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $419.36 million. Northwest Natural Gas had a return on equity of 8.24% and a net margin of 8.79%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.150 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.97 dividend. This is a positive change from Northwest Natural Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.7%. Northwest Natural Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northwest Natural Gas

In other Northwest Natural Gas news, VP David A. Weber sold 1,700 shares of Northwest Natural Gas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.57, for a total transaction of $89,369.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,832.93. The trade was a 91.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,704 shares of company stock valued at $89,579. Insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Northwest Natural Gas

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Northwest Natural Gas in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 104.3% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 363 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 77.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 807 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 375.6% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 1,033 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.