Investors in Northwest Natural Holding Company (NYSE:NWN) had a good week, as its shares rose 3.2% to close at US$50.47 following the release of its quarterly results. Revenues of US$244m missed forecasts by 10%, but Northwest Natural Holding managed to deliver a surprise (statutory) profit, with earnings per share of US$0.01 a decent improvement on the loss that the analysts were predicting. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on Northwest Natural Holding after the latest results.

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Northwest Natural Holding's six analysts is for revenues of US$1.38b in 2026. This would reflect a reasonable 6.6% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to accumulate 2.3% to US$3.06. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$1.40b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$3.01 in 2026. So it's pretty clear that, although the analysts have updated their estimates, there's been no major change in expectations for the business following the latest results.

There were no changes to revenue or earnings estimates or the price target of US$57.40, suggesting that the company has met expectations in its recent result. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. The most optimistic Northwest Natural Holding analyst has a price target of US$61.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$50.00. Still, with such a tight range of estimates, it suggeststhe analysts have a pretty good idea of what they think the company is worth.

Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. It's clear from the latest estimates that Northwest Natural Holding's rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with the forecast 14% annualised revenue growth to the end of 2026 noticeably faster than its historical growth of 8.6% p.a. over the past five years. Compare this with other companies in the same industry, which are forecast to grow their revenue 7.1% annually. It seems obvious that, while the growth outlook is brighter than the recent past, the analysts also expect Northwest Natural Holding to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that there's been no major change in sentiment, with the analysts reconfirming that the business is performing in line with their previous earnings per share estimates. Happily, there were no major changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow faster than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$57.40, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Northwest Natural Holding. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Northwest Natural Holding going out to 2028, and you can see them free on our platform here..

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.