Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC Purchases New Stake in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN)

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

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NWN. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 238.2% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 376,256 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,885,000 after acquiring an additional 265,013 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $7,851,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,392,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 61.6% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 223,223 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,536,000 after purchasing an additional 85,132 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 5,225.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 72,154 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,082,000 after acquiring an additional 70,799 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company's stock.

Northwest Natural Gas Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE NWN traded up $0.75 during trading on Monday, reaching $42.28. 203,188 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 258,178. The firm has a market cap of $1.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27 and a beta of 0.53. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $40.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a fifty-two week low of $37.41 and a fifty-two week high of $44.38.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $494.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $464.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.64%. Northwest Natural Gas's payout ratio is 77.78%.

Insider Transactions at Northwest Natural Gas

In other news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.68, for a total value of $297,600.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 94,791 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,761,306.88. This trade represents a 7.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.84% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on NWN shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target 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 target on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Northwest Natural Gas 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.