Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC Takes Position in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN)

Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 34,474 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,473,000. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC owned 0.09% of Northwest Natural Gas as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Abound Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 24.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,689 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 32.5% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,830 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 694 shares in the last quarter. OLD Republic International Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the first quarter worth approximately $201,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Northwest Natural Gas in the fourth quarter worth $186,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.13% of the company's stock.

Northwest Natural Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NWN traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $42.11. 18,166 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 257,276. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a 1-year low of $37.41 and a 1-year high of $44.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.05. The business's 50 day moving average price is $40.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.09.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.19. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.48% and a return on equity of 8.56%. The company had revenue of $494.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $464.65 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. Northwest Natural Gas's revenue was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.65%. Northwest Natural Gas's payout ratio is presently 77.78%.

Insider Transactions at Northwest Natural Gas

In other Northwest Natural Gas news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.68, for a total transaction of $297,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 94,791 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,761,306.88. The trade was a 7.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 22,591 shares of company stock worth $931,255. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on NWN. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Northwest Natural Gas Company Profile

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.

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