Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) Issues Earnings Results

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The utilities provider reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.13), Briefing.com reports. Northwest Natural had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 7.52%. The company had revenue of $433.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.81 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.01 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Northwest Natural Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NWN stock traded down $0.27 on Thursday, reaching $38.20. 33,363 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 329,681. Northwest Natural has a 52 week low of $34.95 and a 52 week high of $47.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 14.79 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.51.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.488 per share. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.11%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NWN. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Northwest Natural from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on Northwest Natural in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $39.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.40.

About Northwest Natural

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.