Penn Capital Management Company LLC Has $760,000 Stake in Northwest Natural Gas Company $NWN

Key Points

• Penn Capital Management cut its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 71.6% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 16,257 shares valued at about $760,000.
• Northwest Natural Gas reported earnings and revenue below analyst expectations for the latest quarter, with EPS of $2.33 versus $2.40 expected and revenue of $490.4 million versus $538.57 million expected.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.4925 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 3.9%, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $55.25.

Penn Capital Management Company LLC trimmed its stake in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 71.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,257 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 40,977 shares during the period. Penn Capital Management Company LLC's holdings in Northwest Natural Gas were worth $760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Northwest Natural Gas by 77.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 807 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Northwest Natural Gas by 104.3% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Northwest Natural Gas by 375.6% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,308 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,033 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP David A. Weber sold 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.57, for a total transaction of $89,369.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 149 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,832.93. This represents a 91.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,704 shares of company stock worth $89,579. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Northwest Natural Gas in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They set a "hold" rating and a $58.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Northwest Natural Gas from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Northwest Natural Gas in a report on Monday, May 11th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Northwest Natural Gas from $52.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $55.25.

Northwest Natural Gas Price Performance

NWN stock opened at $50.36 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a PE ratio of 17.19 and a beta of 0.47. The company's 50-day moving average is $52.36 and its 200-day moving average is $49.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a 1 year low of $39.25 and a 1 year high of $55.99.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $490.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $538.57 million. Northwest Natural Gas had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 9.56%.Northwest Natural Gas's revenue for the quarter was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.28 EPS. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.150 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Gas Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.4925 per share. This represents a $1.97 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Northwest Natural Gas's dividend payout ratio is 67.24%.

Northwest Natural Gas Company Profile

Northwest Natural Gas NYSE: NWN, commonly known as NW Natural, is a publicly traded energy utility primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company operates an extensive pipeline network spanning thousands of miles across Oregon and southwest Washington. Its core business activities include gas procurement, system operation and maintenance, safety inspections and customer service support.

Dating back to the mid-19th century, Northwest Natural traces its origins to the Portland Gas Light Company, which first illuminated Portland streets with manufactured gas in 1859.

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