First Trust Advisors LP Has $45.45 Million Stock Holdings in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,148,818 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 143,322 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 2.86% of Northwest Natural worth $45,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in Northwest Natural by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 355,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,060,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC boosted 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 valued at $20,571,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $496,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its stake in Northwest Natural by 136.2% during the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 12,572 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $497,000 after acquiring an additional 7,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 74,863 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,962,000 after purchasing an additional 11,160 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

NYSE NWN traded down $0.10 on Tuesday, reaching $43.66. 31,847 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 243,897. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $41.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.08. The company has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.65 and a beta of 0.56. 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 12 month low of $34.82 and a 12 month high of $44.38.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.01). Northwest Natural had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 5.89%. The business had revenue of $370.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $395.05 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.49%. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total value of $92,690.18. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.46, for a total transaction of $310,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 117,382 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,866,657.72. This trade represents a 6.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,192 shares of company stock worth $1,054,793 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

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.