PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 2026-- Northwest Natural Holding Company(NYSE: NWN) (NW Natural Holdings or the Company) reported financial results and highlights including:

First Quarter 2026 Highlights

• Reported earnings per share (EPS) of $2.33 for the first quarter of 2026, compared to EPS of $2.18 and adjusted EPS¹ of $2.28 for the same period in 2025
• Added over 26,000 gas and water utility connections over the 12 months ended March 31, 2026 for a growth rate of 2.8%, driven by both acquisitions and organic customer growth of 1.8%
• Invested $114 million in our gas and water systems to support greater reliability and resiliency

2026 Guidance and Long-term Growth Targets Reaffirmed

• 2026 EPS guidance of $2.95 – $3.15
• Expect rate base growth of 6% – 8% through 2030 driven by planned cap-ex of $2.6 – $2.9 billion from 2026 – 2030
• Long-term EPS growth rate target of 4% – 6%² and potential to increase to 5% – 7%² with MX3 gas storage project

“I'm pleased with our strong first‑quarter results, which put us on solid footing for the year," said Justin Palfreyman, President and CEO of NW Natural Holding Company. "These results reflect our continued focus on building a consistent track record of disciplined execution. We made progress on our key regulatory initiatives and delivered solid operational performance, efficient capital investment, and healthy customer growth across all three of our regulated utility businesses. Additionally, our MX3 gas storage expansion project is on track and continues to build momentum. We remain confident in our strategy and our ability to deliver long‑term value to stakeholders.”

FIRST QUARTER RESULTS

NW Natural Holdings' first quarter results are summarized below:

KEY EVENTS

Reached Settlement in NW Natural's Washington General Rate Case

On March, 23, 2026, NW Natural Gas Company (NW Natural) filed a multi-party settlement with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) that addresses all the revenue requirement items in the multi-year general rate case. The settlement provides increases to the annual revenue requirement over three years, consisting of a $20.1 million revenue increase in the first year beginning Aug. 1, 2026, a $7.7 million revenue increase in the second year, and an $8.7 million revenue increase in the third year. The settlement includes a capital structure of 50% common equity and 50% long-term debt, a return on equity of 9.5%, and an overall cost of capital of 7.15% beginning in the first year and growing to 7.22% in the third year. Rate base is $328.0 million in the first year, or an increase of $80.7 million since the last rate case. The settlement is subject to the review and approval of the WUTC. New rates are expected to be effective Aug. 1, 2026.

SiEnergy Filed a General Rate Case

On May 4, 2026, SiEnergy filed a general rate case with the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC). The filing requests the consolidation of SiEnergy and the Pines gas entities, a $12.0 million revenue increase, a capital structure of 60% common equity and 40% long-term debt, an 8.73% cost of capital, and a 10.75% return on equity. The filing includes rate base of $343.1 million or an increase of $176.9 million since the last rate case. SiEnergy is requesting the factors necessary to file for interim rate adjustments under the Gas Reliability Infrastructure Program (GRIP). New rates are expected to be effective in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Continued Progress on MX3 Storage Expansion Project

NW Natural continues to make progress on the 4 – 5 Bcf expansion of its Mist gas storage facility, including receiving the necessary permits and working on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts. These new storage services will be regulated by FERC. Customers have agreed to a fixed 12.5% return on equity, and a capital structure of 50% equity and 50% long-term debt. Capital expenditures for the project are expected to total approximately $300 million. NW Natural continues to expect Notice to Proceed by late 2027 and MX3 to be in service by the end of 2029.

2026 GUIDANCE AND LONG-TERM TARGETS

We are reaffirming our 2026 guidance and long-term targets. This guidance assumes continued customer growth, average weather conditions, and no significant changes in prevailing regulatory policies, mechanisms, or assumed outcomes, or significant local, state or federal laws, legislation or regulations. Required funds for the capital expenditures are expected to be internally generated or financed with long-term debt or equity, as appropriate.

FIRST QUARTER RESULTS

NW Natural Holdings' first quarter results are summarized by business segment in the table below. Previously the NWN Gas Utility segment excluded certain gas storage and business activities for NW Natural, which were included in the Other segment. As of the first quarter of 2026, these activities are included along with the NWN Gas Utility activities and presented as the NW Natural segment. NW Holdings and NW Natural historical segment reporting has been recast to reflect their current organizational structure.

NW Natural net income increased $2.7 million (or decreased $0.02 per share). Margin increased due to new rates from the Oregon rate case effective Oct. 31, 2025 and net income increased due to a lower income tax rate. These drivers were partially offset by higher depreciation and operations and maintenance (O&M) expense, as well as the impact of financing activities including higher interest expense and share issuances.

SiEnergy net income increased $3.6 million (or $0.08 per share) driven in part by customer growth and investments in the system. Additionally, the first quarter of 2026 reflected a full quarter of both SiEnergy (acquired on Jan. 7, 2025) and Pines (acquired on June 2, 2025) net income, which had a positive effect on year-over-year results.

NWN Water net income decreased $0.3 million (or $0.01 per share) mainly reflecting higher O&M expense to support growth and depreciation expense, partially offset by higher operating revenues driven by healthy organic customer growth and acquisitions.

Othernet loss decreased $3.5 million (or $0.10 per share). On an adjusted basis, which excludes the SiEnergy transaction costs in the first quarter 2025, net loss decreased $0.4 million (flat on a per share basis).

DIVIDEND DECLARED

The board of directors of NW Natural Holdings declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4925 per share on the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on May 15, 2026 to shareholders of record on April 30, 2026. The Company's current indicated annual dividend rate is $1.97 per share. Future dividends are subject to board of director discretion and approval.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST

As previously announced, NW Natural Holdings will host a conference call and webcast today to discuss its first quarter 2026 financial and operating results.

The call will also be webcast in a listen-only format for the media and general public and can be accessed at ir.nwnaturalholdings.com. A replay of the conference call will be available on our website as well.

ABOUT NW NATURAL HOLDINGS

NW Natural Holding Company (NYSE: NWN) is headquartered in Portland, Oregon and has operated for more than 167 years. It owns Northwest Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), the Company's long-standing natural gas utility serving the Pacific Northwest; SiEnergy Operating, LLC (SiEnergy), a fast-growing natural gas utility serving key Texas markets; NW Natural Water Company (NW Natural Water), an expanding water and wastewater utility; and additional business interests. Together, NW Natural Holdings provides essential energy and water services to nearly one million customers across seven states. The Company has a longstanding commitment to safety, environmental stewardship and supporting its employees and communities, and consistently leads the industry in J.D. Power customer satisfaction. Additional information is available at nwnaturalholdings.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release, and other presentations made by NW Holdings from time to time, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "anticipates," "assumes," “continues,” “could,” "should," "intends," "plans," "seeks," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "will" and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the following: plans, objectives, assumptions, estimates, expectations, forecasts, outlooks, timing, goals, strategies, commitments, future events, financial positions, financial performance, investments, valuations, timing and amount of capital expenditures, targeted capital structure, risks, risk profile, stability, acquisitions and timing, approval, completion and integration thereof, the likelihood and success associated with any transaction, strategic fit, utility system, technology and infrastructure investments, expected timing of notice to proceed, the initiation of construction, expected in service date and capital expenditure requirements for MX3, system modernization, reliability and resiliency, global, national and local economies, economic and GDP growth, customer and business growth, continued expansion of service territories, rate base growth, customer backlog, growth opportunities, customer satisfaction ratings, weather, performance and service during weather events, customer rates or rate recovery and the timing and magnitude of potential rate changes and the potential outcome of rate cases, environmental remediation cost recoveries, environmental initiatives, decarbonization and the role of natural gas and the gas delivery system, including decarbonization goals and timelines, energy efficiency measures, use of renewable sources, renewable natural gas purchases, projects, investments and other renewable initiatives, and timing, magnitude and completion thereof, unregulated renewable natural gas strategy and initiatives, hydrogen projects or investments and timing, magnitude, approvals and completion thereof, procurement of renewable natural gas or hydrogen for customers, technology and policy innovations, strategic goals and visions, water, wastewater and water services acquisitions, personnel additions, partnerships, investment strategy, regulatory strategy, and financial effects of water, wastewater and water services acquisitions, expected growth and safety benefits of facility upgrade investments, operating plans of third parties, financial targets, financial results, including estimated income, availability and sources of liquidity, capital markets, financing transactions, expenses, positions, revenues, returns, cost of capital, timing, and earnings, earnings guidance and estimated future growth rates, credit ratings, debt and equity issuances and timing, future dividends, commodity costs and sourcing, asset management activities, regulatory environment, performance, timing, outcome, or effects of regulatory proceedings or mechanisms or approvals, rate case execution, regulatory prudence reviews, anticipated regulatory actions or filings, accounting treatment of future events, economic and political conditions, effects of legislation or changes in laws or regulations, impact of the current U.S. presidential administration and Congress, inflation, geopolitical uncertainty and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts.

Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions regarding its business, the economy, geopolitical factors, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. You are therefore cautioned against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future operational, economic or financial performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are discussed by reference to the factors described in Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors", and Part II, Item 7 and Item 7A "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk" in the most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in Part I, Items 2 and 3 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk", and Part II, Item 1A, "Risk Factors", in the quarterly reports filed thereafter, which, among others, outline legal, regulatory and legislative risks, financial, macroeconomic and geopolitical risks, growth and strategic risks, operational risks, business continuity and technology risks, environmental risks and risks related to our water and renewables businesses.

All forward-looking statements made in this report and all subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral and whether made by or on behalf of NW Holdings or NW Natural, are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and NW Holdings and NW Natural undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all such factors, nor can it assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

Management uses "adjusted net income", "adjusted earnings per share," "adjusted segment net loss," "segment earnings per share” and "adjusted segment earnings per share," each of which are non-GAAP financial measures, when evaluating NW Natural Holdings' overall performance. Management uses non-GAAP measures in making operating decisions because we believe those measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding our earning potential and performance for management by excluding certain expenses and charges that may not be indicative of our core business operating results and can affect the comparison of period-over-period results. These adjustments may include transaction and business development costs primarily consisting of professional fees including legal, accounting, financial and other professional fees incurred in connection with business combinations and business development activities. In addition to presenting the results of operations and earnings amounts in total, certain financial measures are expressed in cents per share, which are non-GAAP financial measures. All references to EPS are on the basis of diluted shares.

Such non-GAAP financial measures are used to analyze our financial performance because we believe they provide useful information to our investors and creditors in evaluating our financial condition and results of operations. Our non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, measures calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Moreover, these non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all the items associated with the operations of the business as determined in accordance with GAAP. Other companies may calculate similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures differently than how such measures are calculated in this report, limiting the usefulness of those measures for comparative purposes. A reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is provided in the tables below.

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Investor Contact:
Nikki Sparley
Phone: 503-721-2530
Email: nikki.sparley@nwnatural.com

Media Contact:
David Roy
Phone: 503-610-7157
Email: david.roy@nwnatural.com

Source: NW Natural