Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $48.87 and traded as high as $53.51. Northwest Natural Gas shares last traded at $53.4580, with a volume of 149,628 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on NWN. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Northwest Natural Gas from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Northwest Natural Gas from $52.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They set a "hold" rating and a $58.00 price target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northwest Natural Gas presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $54.50.

Northwest Natural Gas Stock Up 2.4%

The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $52.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.87. The company has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of 19.23 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $394.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $419.36 million. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The company's revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.150 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Gas Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. Northwest Natural Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP David A. Weber sold 1,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.57, for a total value of $89,369.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 149 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,832.93. The trade was a 91.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,704 shares of company stock valued at $89,579. Insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the fourth quarter worth $26,885,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 6,616.5% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 455,579 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $21,294,000 after buying an additional 448,796 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 74.2% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 587,016 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,437,000 after buying an additional 250,025 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 3,319.6% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 211,536 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $9,887,000 after buying an additional 205,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC grew its holdings in Northwest Natural Gas by 224.3% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 286,388 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $13,386,000 after buying an additional 198,074 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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