American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Northwest Natural Gas Company $NWN

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 4.5%, owning 205,667 shares valued at approximately $8.79 million.
• Northwest Natural Gas recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.49 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 4.8% with a payout ratio of 77.47%.
• The company's EPS for the last quarter surpassed analysts' expectations, reporting $0.01 against a consensus estimate of (0.07), while forecasted EPS for FY 2025 is 2.750-2.950.

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 4.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 205,667 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,806 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.51% of Northwest Natural Gas worth $8,786,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NWN. Abound Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 24.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,689 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas by 32.5% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,830 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 694 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $186,000. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NWN traded up $0.20 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $41.50. 193,421 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 260,164. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a 52 week low of $38.03 and a 52 week high of $44.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a PE ratio of 16.40 and a beta of 0.59. The company's 50 day moving average price is $40.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.31.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.08. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 8.60%. The company had revenue of $236.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $252.70 million. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.750-2.950 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. Northwest Natural Gas's dividend payout ratio is presently 77.47%.

Insider Transactions at Northwest Natural Gas

In other Northwest Natural Gas news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,574 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.43, for a total transaction of $306,216.82. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 79,717 shares in the company, valued at $3,222,958.31. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 22,574 shares of company stock worth $918,517 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NWN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Northwest Natural Gas to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northwest Natural Gas currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $48.00.

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.