Voloridge Investment Management LLC Has $3.21 Million Stock Holdings in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Voloridge Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 81,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 7,671 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.20% of Northwest Natural worth $3,209,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Northwest Natural Trading Up 0.1%

NWN stock traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $40.96. The stock had a trading volume of 274,055 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,181. The firm has a market cap of $1.65 billion, a PE ratio of 19.32 and a beta of 0.56. The company's 50-day moving average price is $42.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.34. Northwest Natural Holding has a 12-month low of $34.82 and a 12-month high of $44.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

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

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.79%. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total value of $92,690.18. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 255 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,827.30. This represents a 89.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total transaction of $322,500.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 109,882 shares in the company, valued at $4,724,926. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 24,774 shares of company stock valued at $1,037,295. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.