Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) Posts Earnings Results

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

Northwest Natural Stock Down 2.0 %

NYSE NWN opened at $37.87 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Northwest Natural has a fifty-two week low of $34.95 and a fifty-two week high of $47.29. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $37.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.51. The stock has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a PE ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 0.54.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.488 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.15%. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is currently 75.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NWN has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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 on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Northwest Natural from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.