North West (TSE:NWC) Reaches New 12-Month High - Here's Why

Shares of The North West Company Inc. (TSE:NWC - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as C$55.93 and last traded at C$55.81, with a volume of 6794 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$55.58.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on NWC. Cibc World Mkts upgraded North West to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of North West from C$58.00 to C$60.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. TD Securities increased their price objective on shares of North West from C$59.00 to C$63.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, CIBC lifted their target price on shares of North West from C$59.00 to C$60.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th.

North West Price Performance

The business's 50 day moving average price is C$50.60 and its 200-day moving average price is C$49.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 59.78. The company has a market cap of C$2.74 billion, a PE ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.64.

North West Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 24th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 16th. North West's payout ratio is 58.83%.

Insider Activity at North West

In related news, Senior Officer Michael Beaulieu sold 1,850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$54.77, for a total value of C$101,324.50. Also, Senior Officer Jim Caldwell sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$51.87, for a total transaction of C$77,805.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 916 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$47,512.92. This trade represents a 62.09 % decrease in their position. Insiders have sold 21,928 shares of company stock valued at $1,191,408 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

North West Company Profile

The North West Company Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the retail of food and everyday products and services to rural communities and urban neighborhood markets in northern Canada, rural Alaska, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. The company operates Northern stores, which offers food, financial services, and general merchandise; NorthMart stores that provides fresh food products, apparel, and health products and services; and Quickstop convenience stores that provides ready-to-eat food products, and fuel and related services.