Lazard Asset Management LLC Cuts Holdings in Northwest Natural Gas Company $NWN

Key Points

• Lazard Asset Management cut its Northwest Natural Gas stake by 72.7% in the first quarter, selling 32,212 shares and retaining 12,097 shares valued at approximately $644,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.13% of the company.
• Northwest Natural Gas beat quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $0.01 versus the expected $0.08 loss, while revenue rose 3.1% year over year to $243.55 million but missed estimates. Management maintained 2026 EPS guidance of $2.95–$3.15.
• Analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $55.25. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4925 per share, representing a 3.9% annualized yield.

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 72.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 32,212 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Northwest Natural Gas were worth $644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWN. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 104.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 77.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 807 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 375.6% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,308 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,033 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Northwest Natural Gas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $70,000. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set a "hold" rating and a $58.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Northwest Natural Gas from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of Northwest Natural Gas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $55.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northwest Natural Gas news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.18, for a total value of $76,770.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 52,259 shares in the company, valued at $2,674,615.62. The trade was a 2.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Northwest Natural Gas Stock Performance

Northwest Natural Gas stock opened at $50.72 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a PE ratio of 16.91 and a beta of 0.43. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a one year low of $39.63 and a one year high of $55.99. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $49.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.09. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 8.33%. The company had revenue of $243.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $271.87 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.01 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 3.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.4925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Northwest Natural Gas's payout ratio is 65.67%.

Trending Headlines about Northwest Natural Gas

Here are the key news stories impacting Northwest Natural Gas this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings exceeded expectations. Northwest Natural reported second-quarter EPS of $0.01, ahead of the $0.08-per-share loss analysts expected. Revenue rose 3.1% year over year to $243.55 million, although it fell short of the $271.87 million consensus estimate. Northwest Natural tops earnings estimates despite revenue shortfall
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects stronger full-year execution. Northwest Natural maintained 2026 EPS guidance of $2.95 to $3.15 and said results are expected in the upper half of that range, compared with the analyst consensus of approximately $3.05. Northwest Natural targets top half of 2026 EPS range
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded the stock. The firm raised its rating from “underweight” to “equal weight,” reducing a prior negative stance and setting a $50 price target. Benzinga report
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term growth initiatives continue. The company is advancing its MX3 project toward a potential notice to proceed by the end of 2027, but the project is not expected to materially affect near-term results. MX3 project update
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed estimates. Despite the EPS beat, quarterly revenue was meaningfully below expectations, highlighting softer-than-anticipated operating performance and limiting the upside from the earnings report.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation upside appears limited based on Wells Fargo’s target. The $50 price target implies approximately 1.4% downside from the recent $50.72 trading level, supporting a cautious “equal weight” outlook rather than a bullish call.

Northwest Natural Gas Company Profile

Northwest Natural Gas NYSE: NWN, commonly known as NW Natural, is a publicly traded energy utility primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company operates an extensive pipeline network spanning thousands of miles across Oregon and southwest Washington. Its core business activities include gas procurement, system operation and maintenance, safety inspections and customer service support.

Dating back to the mid-19th century, Northwest Natural traces its origins to the Portland Gas Light Company, which first illuminated Portland streets with manufactured gas in 1859.

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