North West (TSE:NWC) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

The North West Company Inc. (TSE:NWC - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$50.22 and traded as high as C$57.10. North West shares last traded at C$57.05, with a volume of 126,160 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

North West Stock Up 1.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 59.78, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market capitalization of C$2.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.64. The company's 50-day simple moving average is C$53.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$50.33.

North West Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.79%. North West's payout ratio is 58.83%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Senior Officer Jim Caldwell sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$51.87, for a total transaction of C$77,805.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 916 shares in the company, valued at C$47,512.92. This trade represents a 62.09% decrease in their position. Also, Senior Officer Matthew Johnson sold 1,469 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$52.91, for a total transaction of C$77,724.79. Insiders have sold 21,928 shares of company stock worth $1,191,408 in the last three months. Company 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.