Stifel Nicolaus Has Lowered Expectations for Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) Stock Price

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) had its target price dropped by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $45.00 to $44.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 6.93% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Northwest Natural from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of Northwest Natural from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $36.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Monday, August 5th.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

NWN stock opened at $41.15 on Thursday. Northwest Natural has a 1 year low of $34.82 and a 1 year high of $42.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a PE ratio of 19.41 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.62.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The utilities provider reported ($0.71) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.79) by $0.08. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The company had revenue of $136.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $132.47 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.65) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Northwest Natural will post 2.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Northwest Natural

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 173.5% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 796 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Northwest Natural during the third quarter worth $34,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Northwest Natural in the first quarter valued at $32,000. LRI Investments LLC raised its stake in Northwest Natural by 692.4% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 12,044.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,084 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Company Profile

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.