Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 9.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 113,710 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,053 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC owned 0.28% of Northwest Natural worth $4,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 24.6% in 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 during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new position in Northwest Natural in the 1st quarter worth approximately $216,000. Summit Global Investments purchased a new position in Northwest Natural during the 1st quarter worth approximately $991,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Northwest Natural by 5.2% during 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 worth $5,531,000 after purchasing an additional 6,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in Northwest Natural by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 17,313 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $685,000 after purchasing an additional 2,704 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.13% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages have recently commented on NWN. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday.
Check Out Our Latest Report on NWN
Insider Buying and Selling at Northwest Natural
In other news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,591 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.99, for a total transaction of $311,155.09. Following the transaction, the director now owns 102,291 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,192,908.09. This trade represents a 6.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total transaction of $92,690.18. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,827.30. This represents a 89.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,774 shares of company stock worth $1,037,295 over the last ninety days. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Northwest Natural Trading Down 1.4%
Northwest Natural stock opened at $39.70 on Monday. Northwest Natural Holding has a 12 month low of $34.82 and a 12 month high of $44.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.73 and a beta of 0.54. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $41.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.15.
Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.19. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The firm had revenue of $494.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $464.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.69 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.94%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.78%.
Northwest Natural Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
See Also
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NWN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report).

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