Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.13 EPS

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The utilities provider reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NWN traded down $0.27 during trading on Thursday, hitting $38.20. 33,363 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 329,681. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.51. Northwest Natural has a 1-year low of $34.95 and a 1-year high of $47.29. The company has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.79 and a beta of 0.54.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NWN has been the subject of several research reports. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Northwest Natural in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $39.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.