Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Stake in Northwest Natural Gas Company $NWN

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN) by 0.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,758,798 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 24,244 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Northwest Natural Gas worth $213,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 77.4% during the second 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. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 44.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,143 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 95.6% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 29.4% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,013 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,765 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 491 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a report on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Northwest Natural Gas from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northwest Natural Gas currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.33.

Trending Headlines about Northwest Natural Gas

Here are the key news stories impacting Northwest Natural Gas this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat — NWN reported $1.39 EPS vs. the consensus $1.36, showing continued profitability strength and helping drive the stock higher. Northwest Natural (NWN) Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance provided at $2.950–$3.150, which sits around street expectations and reduces near‑term uncertainty about earnings growth — a catalyst cited in market writeups for the share move. Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Shares Rise on EPS Guidance Update
• Positive Sentiment: Company statement: NW Natural Holdings said it delivered record 2025 results across its businesses, supporting a constructive near‑term narrative around operational performance. NW Natural Holdings Delivers Record 2025 Results Across All Businesses
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and management commentary are available for detail on rate cases, capex and margin drivers — useful for evaluating whether guidance is sustainable. Northwest Natural Holding Company (NWN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations — $394.2M reported vs. ~$419M consensus — which could raise questions about volume or commodity pass‑throughs and partially offsets the EPS beat. Northwest Natural Q4 release and materials

Northwest Natural Gas Trading Up 5.6%

Shares of NWN stock opened at $53.11 on Monday. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a 1-year low of $38.94 and a 1-year high of $53.48. The company has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.10 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.93.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $394.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $419.36 million. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Northwest Natural Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Northwest Natural Gas’s payout ratio is presently 70.86%.

Northwest Natural Gas 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.