Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.08 EPS

Key Points

• Northwest Natural Gas reported quarterly earnings of $0.01 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations of ($0.07) by $0.08.
• The company has updated its FY 2025 earnings guidance to between 2.750-2.950 EPS and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.49 per share.
• Despite beating earnings estimates, shares of NWN traded down $0.56 to hit $39.64 with a market capitalization of $1.60 billion.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.08, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $236.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $252.70 million. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 8.60%. Northwest Natural Gas updated its FY 2025 guidance to 2.750-2.950 EPS.

Northwest Natural Gas Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NWN stock traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $39.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 193,169 shares, compared to its average volume of 265,808. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $40.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.23. Northwest Natural Gas has a 12-month low of $37.41 and a 12-month high of $44.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.79 and a beta of 0.55.

Northwest Natural Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. Northwest Natural Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NWN. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th.

Insider Activity at Northwest Natural Gas

In other news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,591 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.99, for a total value of $311,155.09. Following the transaction, the director owned 102,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,192,908.09. This trade represents a 6.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 22,591 shares of company stock valued at $923,455. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northwest Natural Gas

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NWN. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 650.9% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 64,966 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,775,000 after acquiring an additional 56,314 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 17.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 164,729 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,037,000 after buying an additional 24,906 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 106,605 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,554,000 after buying an additional 5,644 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 28.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 6,446 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.13% of the company's stock.

Northwest Natural Gas 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.