UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Grows Position in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 139,823 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,870 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.35% of Northwest Natural worth $5,531,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,713,729 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $186,475,000 after purchasing an additional 28,078 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Northwest Natural by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 908,715 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,958,000 after buying an additional 24,510 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 715,951 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,323,000 after buying an additional 17,391 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Northwest Natural by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 615,126 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $24,334,000 after buying an additional 46,135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC increased its stake in Northwest Natural by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 520,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $20,571,000 after buying an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 109,882 shares in the company, valued at $4,724,926. This trade represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total transaction of $92,690.18. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,827.30. The trade was a 89.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,774 shares of company stock valued at $1,037,295. Insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

Shares of Northwest Natural stock traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $39.66. 199,116 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 249,337. The business has a fifty day moving average of $41.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.31. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Northwest Natural Holding has a 1 year low of $34.82 and a 1 year high of $44.38.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $494.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $464.65 million. Northwest Natural had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 5.89%. Northwest Natural's revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

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

Northwest Natural 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.