MQS Management LLC Invests $274,000 in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 6,413 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $274,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWN. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 238.2% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 376,256 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,885,000 after acquiring an additional 265,013 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $4,392,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 5,225.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 72,154 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,082,000 after buying an additional 70,799 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 110,152 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,358,000 after buying an additional 49,140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 615,126 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $24,334,000 after buying an additional 46,135 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NWN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Northwest Natural Gas Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NWN traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $41.86. The company had a trading volume of 227,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 258,056. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $40.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.07. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.61 and a beta of 0.53. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a 52-week low of $37.41 and a 52-week high of $44.38.

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

Northwest Natural Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend yield of 4.68%. Northwest Natural Gas's dividend payout ratio is currently 77.78%.

Insider Activity

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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 94,791 shares in the company, valued at $3,761,306.88. The trade was a 7.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,591 shares of company stock worth $931,255. Insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

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.