Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Buys 10,053 Shares of Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 9.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 113,710 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 10,053 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC owned 0.28% of Northwest Natural Gas worth $4,858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 24.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,689 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas during the 1st quarter valued at $216,000. Summit Global Investments bought a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the 1st quarter worth about $991,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Northwest Natural Gas by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 139,823 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,531,000 after acquiring an additional 6,870 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 17,313 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $685,000 after acquiring an additional 2,704 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Northwest Natural Gas news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total value of $92,690.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,827.30. This represents a 89.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total transaction of $322,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 109,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,724,926. The trade was a 6.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,774 shares of company stock valued at $1,037,295 over the last quarter. 0.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on NWN. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on 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 research report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Northwest Natural Gas Price Performance

Shares of NWN stock traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $39.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 258,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 251,207. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75 and a beta of 0.54. 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 $34.85 and a fifty-two week high of $44.38. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $41.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.11.

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, 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 firm had revenue of $494.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $464.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Northwest Natural Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Northwest Natural Gas's payout ratio is 77.78%.

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.