BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 10,132 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 36.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,925 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,132 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.09% of Northwest Natural worth $1,500,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in NWN. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in Northwest Natural by 11,111.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,009 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 74.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,054 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 874 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 32.5% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,830 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 694 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,906 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spirit of America Management Corp NY lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 78.9% in the fourth quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 3,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Northwest Natural

In related news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total transaction of $92,690.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 255 shares in the company, valued at $10,827.30. The trade was a 89.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,591 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.99, for a total value of $311,155.09. Following the transaction, the director now owns 102,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,192,908.09. The trade was a 6.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,283 shares of company stock worth $1,058,673. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

NYSE NWN traded up $0.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $40.79. 168,170 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 248,565. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.24 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.34. Northwest Natural Holding has a 12-month low of $34.82 and a 12-month high of $44.38.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $494.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $464.65 million. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.69 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.80%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th.

About Northwest Natural

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. The company operates a mist gas storage facility contracted to other utilities, third-party marketers, and electric generators; offers natural gas asset management services; and operates an appliance retail center.