Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Northwest Natural Gas stock moved above its 200-day moving average, trading as high as $50.67 before last changing hands near $49.98. The 200-day average was $49.55, signaling a short-term technical improvement.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans positive, with the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $55.25. Recent calls included upgrades from Freedom Capital and Weiss Ratings, while Wells Fargo initiated coverage with an underweight rating.
• The company missed quarterly EPS and revenue estimates in its latest earnings report, though it maintained FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.95 to 3.15. Northwest Natural also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.4925 per share, equal to a 3.9% annualized yield.

Shares of Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $49.55 and traded as high as $50.67. Northwest Natural Gas shares last traded at $49.9750, with a volume of 282,757 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NWN. Freedom Capital raised shares of Northwest Natural Gas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research note on Monday, May 11th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Northwest Natural Gas from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $52.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $55.25.

Northwest Natural Gas Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06 and a beta of 0.47. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $52.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $490.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $538.57 million. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 9.56% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.28 earnings per share. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.150 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Gas Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a $0.4925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Northwest Natural Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP David A. Weber sold 1,700 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 149 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,832.93. This trade represents a 91.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,704 shares of company stock valued at $89,579. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Edgestream Partners L.P. lifted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 54.1% in the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 201,660 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $10,732,000 after purchasing an additional 70,773 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 140.4% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,744 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $625,000 after purchasing an additional 6,858 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 16.3% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 41,694 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,219,000 after purchasing an additional 5,835 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 34.7% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 41,913 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,231,000 after purchasing an additional 10,798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 46.7% in the 1st quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 7,382 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 2,350 shares in the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Northwest Natural Gas

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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