Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Invests $334,000 in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has invested approximately $334,000 by acquiring 7,830 shares in Northern Natural Gas Company during the first quarter.
• The company reported a 14.0% year-over-year increase in revenue, totaling $494.28 million, and earnings per share of $2.28, surpassing analysts' expectations.
• Northwest Natural Gas has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.49 per share, which translates to an annual yield of 4.9%.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 7,830 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $334,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NWN. Abound Wealth Management bought a new stake in Northwest Natural Gas in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position 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 valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $186,000. Finally, OLD Republic International Corp bought a new position in shares of Northwest Natural Gas in the first quarter worth $201,000. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Gas Trading Up 1.0%

NWN traded up $0.39 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $40.11. 103,838 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 276,033. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $40.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.24. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a 1-year low of $37.41 and a 1-year high of $44.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.84 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.08. The business had revenue of $236.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $252.70 million. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 8.60%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. Northwest Natural Gas's dividend payout ratio is presently 77.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NWN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th.

Insider Activity at Northwest Natural Gas

In other Northwest Natural Gas news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.96, for a total value of $314,700.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 87,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,662,730.36. The trade was a 7.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 22,591 shares of company stock worth $923,455. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Northwest Natural Gas

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.