North West (TSE:NWC) Hits New 52-Week High at $52.13

Shares of The North West Company Inc. (TSE:NWC) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as C$52.13 and last traded at C$51.59, with a volume of 11302 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$51.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on North West from C$40.00 to C$47.00 in a research report on Friday, September 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of North West from C$44.00 to C$56.00 in a research note on Friday, September 6th. CIBC increased their target price on shares of North West from C$43.00 to C$44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Finally, TD Securities boosted their price target on shares of North West from C$52.00 to C$59.00 in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of C$49.80.

North West Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of C$44.78 and a 200-day moving average of C$41.42. 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 firm has a market capitalization of C$2.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.81, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.64.

North West (TSE:NWC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 4th. The company reported C$0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of C$0.71 by C$0.02. North West had a net margin of 5.25% and a return on equity of 19.76%. The company had revenue of C$646.49 million for the quarter. Equities analysts predict that The North West Company Inc. will post 3.3409536 EPS for the current fiscal year.

North West Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This is a boost from North West’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. North West’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.39%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director George Mcconnell Daniel sold 5,665 shares of North West stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$42.54, for a total value of C$240,989.10. In other North West news, Director George Mcconnell Daniel sold 5,665 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.54, for a total value of C$240,989.10. Also, Senior Officer John King sold 5,230 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$42.70, for a total transaction of C$223,321.00. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by 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.