North West (TSE:NWC) Hits New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

The North West Company Inc. (TSE:NWC) shares hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as C$53.18 and last traded at C$52.93, with a volume of 27402 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$52.14.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on NWC. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on North West from C$40.00 to C$47.00 in a research report on Friday, September 6th. TD Securities increased their price objective on North West from C$52.00 to C$59.00 in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on North West from C$44.00 to C$56.00 in a research report on Friday, September 6th.

North West Stock Up 1.2 %

The company has a market cap of C$2.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 60.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of C$49.96 and a 200 day moving average of C$44.25.

North West (TSE:NWC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 4th. The company reported C$0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$0.71 by C$0.02. The firm had revenue of C$646.49 million during the quarter. North West had a net margin of 5.25% and a return on equity of 19.76%. On average, research analysts anticipate that The North West Company Inc. will post 3.4924863 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

North West Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is an increase from North West’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. North West’s payout ratio is presently 58.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other North West news, Senior Officer Michael Beaulieu sold 3,522 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$50.78, for a total value of C$178,847.16. In related news, Senior Officer Cole James Ashley Akerstream sold 1,899 shares of North West stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$52.67, for a total transaction of C$100,020.33. Also, Senior Officer Michael Beaulieu sold 3,522 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$50.78, for a total transaction of C$178,847.16. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,030 shares of company stock valued at $1,038,687. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About North West

The North West Company Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the retail of food and everyday products and services to rural communities and urban neighborhood markets in northern Canada, rural Alaska, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. The company operates Northern stores, which offers food, financial services, and general merchandise; NorthMart stores that provides fresh food products, apparel, and health products and services; and Quickstop convenience stores that provides ready-to-eat food products, and fuel and related services.