The framework has shifted from distribution to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 1.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 29%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $58.
Northwest Natural Holding Company
NWN · the NYSE · USD · Market cap $2.0B · 1,619 employees
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.
FAIL · Does not pass the screenScreen close, 2026-09-21 · not a live quote
Screened 2026-09-21 · the tape above runs as of 15:00 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
What this means: price 48.07 against the desk's fair-value range, base estimate 42.66, over the last year.
- Trend Markdown
- Insiders insiders sold, $72,039, latest filing 2026-09-18
- Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
- Options no verdict drawn today, left as found
- Ethical does not pass the values gate
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
This name holds its markdown label.
Northwest Natural Holding Company holds its Markdown at $48.07. Elevated stress, defensive posture warranted, held for 15 days.
| Phase | Markdown · caution |
| Quantitative state | Elevated stress, defensive posture warranted, held for 15 days |
| Price at the screen | $48.07 |
| Valuation | 16.08 trailing · 14.87 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | FAIL · score 70.0 |
| Beta | 0.43 |
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Debt ratio
| Test | Figure | Limit | What it means | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business activity | Permissible | Core business clean | Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. | Pass |
| Debt load | 43.51% | Below 33% | Interest-bearing debt is 43.5% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. | Fail |
| Interest-bearing cash | 0.00% | Below 33% | Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit. | Pass |
| Receivables | 2.57% | Below 49% | Money owed to the company is 2.6% of assets, under the 49% limit. | Pass |
| Revenue purity | 0.00% | Below 5% | Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line. | Pass |
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
What the Numbers Say It Is WorthThe Fair Value Range
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-09-21 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. The price runs 11.3% above the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 5 covering, consensus None. The average target sits +21% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish: a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.
Price History & ProjectionsWhere it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-09-21 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain WordsGas bills stay steady but earnings growth does not
Picture a winter heating bill that lands on the doormat every month without fail. Northwest Natural supplies the gas behind those bills across the Pacific Northwest, yet its revenue has slipped 1 percent and returns on equity sit at just 8 percent. At 15.9 times forward earnings the shares already price in more stability than the figures support.
We pass. The stock trades 17 percent above our fair value of 42.65 dollars while the business shows no real growth engine and an unknown competitive edge. A regulated utility can look calm on paper, but these numbers do not justify stretching the valuation further.
The sector carries cyclical risk that low multiples often mask rather than remove. Peak demand or shifting energy policy can turn what appears to be dependable earnings into a trap that leaves capital tied up for years. Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 14.9xexpensive even after accounting for its growth |
| Trailing P/E | 16.1xreasonably valued |
| EPS, trailing | 2.99 |
| EPS, forward | 3.23 |
| Revenue growth | +3.1%slow but positive growth |
| Profit margin | 9.7%thin but positive margins |
| Return on equity | 8.3%a modest return on shareholder capital |
| FCF yield | -13.24% |
| Dividend yield | 395.00% |
| Debt to equity | 1.73a meaningful debt load worth watching |
| Current ratio | 0.77below 1: short-term bills exceed liquid assets |
| Beta | 0.43barely tracks the market's swings |
| Short interest, float | 0.06% |
| 52-week range | 41.50 - 55.99 |
| Market cap | $2.0B |
| Employees | 1,619 |
The risks · The things to watch: it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to TradeNWN trades on the NYSE. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
Every Entry, As Written
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved up 2.7% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 29%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $58.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 29%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (6 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $58.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
- These Lesser-Known Dividend Stocks Have Raised Payouts for 70 Straight Years Insider Monkey · 27d ago
- 188-year-old Dividend King just unlocked unexpected growth engine TheStreet · 10 Aug 2026
- Northwest Natural Gas Q2 Earnings Call Highlights MarketBeat · 8 Aug 2026
- How Strong 2026 Guidance and MX3 Progress Will Impact Northwest Natural Holding (NWN) Investors Simply Wall St. · 8 Aug 2026
- Northwest Natural Holding Company Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary Moby · 6 Aug 2026
Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference: not our reporting, not advice.
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
| Date | Insider | Title | Type | Shares | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-18 | Anderson David Hugo | Dir | S - Sale | 1,500 | $72,039 |
Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $50.46 | -0.8% | · | $992 | -0.8% |
| 2 months | $55.08 | -9.1% | $0.49 | $918 | -8.2% |
| 3 months | $51.46 | -2.7% | $0.49 | $982 | -1.8% |
| 6 months | $45.53 | +9.9% | $0.99 | $1,121 | +12.1% |
| 1 year | $38.70 | +29.3% | $1.97 | $1,344 | +34.4% |
| 2 years | $32.87 | +52.2% | $3.93 | $1,642 | +64.2% |
| 3 years | $37.79 | +32.5% | $5.88 | $1,480 | +48.0% |
| 5 years | $44.34 | +12.9% | $9.74 | $1,348 | +34.8% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever NWN does next, these words stay.
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Join the deskScreening is research, not a fatwa and not financial advice. Figures are drawn from public accounts at the screen date shown. Always manage your risk.