Stifel Nicolaus Increases Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) Price Target to $40.00

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) had its target price lifted by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $39.00 to $40.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 4.00% from the stock’s current price.

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on Northwest Natural in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $39.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northwest Natural has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.40.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NWN opened at $38.46 on Tuesday. Northwest Natural has a 1 year low of $34.95 and a 1 year high of $47.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $37.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.51. The firm has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.79 and a beta of 0.54.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.13). 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.01 earnings per share. Northwest Natural’s revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Northwest Natural will post 2.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWN. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 686.5% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Northwest Natural during the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural in the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Northwest Natural in the first quarter worth $93,000. Finally, AM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Northwest Natural during the fourth quarter worth $137,000. 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.