Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.950-3.150 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 3.050. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Northwest Natural Gas Stock Down 7.1%

Shares of NYSE NWN traded down $3.72 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $48.98. 234,824 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 283,232. The business’s fifty day moving average is $52.96 and its 200 day moving average is $49.31. Northwest Natural Gas has a fifty-two week low of $39.10 and a fifty-two week high of $55.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.40 by ($0.07). Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 8.24%. Northwest Natural Gas’s quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.150 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Northwest Natural Gas will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Gas Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. Northwest Natural Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NWN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $52.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Northwest Natural Gas to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research note on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set a “hold” rating and a $58.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Northwest Natural Gas from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $54.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP David A. Weber sold 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 149 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,832.93. This represents a 91.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,704 shares of company stock valued at $89,579. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural Gas

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 104.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 77.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 807 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas during the 4th quarter worth $70,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 29.4% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,013 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 523.2% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,269 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 3,584 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

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.