Insider Selling: Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) Director Sells 4,233 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Director David Hugo Anderson sold 4,233 shares of Northwest Natural Gas stock at an average price of $45.01, totaling approximately $190,527, and now holds 67,689 shares.
• The company has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion with a current stock price of $44.19, reflecting a 5.89% decrease in Anderson's position after recent sales.
• Northwest Natural Gas recently reported a net margin of 8.34% and quarterly revenue of $236.19 million, below analyst estimates of $252.70 million.

Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) Director David Hugo Anderson sold 4,233 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.01, for a total transaction of $190,527.33. Following the transaction, the director owned 67,689 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,046,681.89. The trade was a 5.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

David Hugo Anderson also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, October 1st, David Hugo Anderson sold 328 shares of Northwest Natural Gas stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $14,760.00.
• On Thursday, September 18th, David Hugo Anderson sold 7,795 shares of Northwest Natural Gas stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.13, for a total transaction of $328,403.35.
• On Tuesday, August 19th, David Hugo Anderson sold 7,574 shares of Northwest Natural Gas stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.43, for a total transaction of $306,216.82.
• On Monday, July 21st, David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural Gas stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.96, for a total transaction of $314,700.00.

Northwest Natural Gas Price Performance

NWN stock traded down $0.17 on Thursday, hitting $44.19. 171,518 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 236,190. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47 and a beta of 0.57. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a 1-year low of $38.03 and a 1-year high of $45.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $41.58 and a 200-day moving average of $41.50.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.08. Northwest Natural Gas had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 8.60%. The firm had revenue of $236.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $252.70 million. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.750-2.950 EPS. On average, 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 was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. Northwest Natural Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on NWN. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Zacks Research raised Northwest Natural Gas to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $48.00.

Institutional Trading of Northwest Natural Gas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 2.7% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 199,834 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,537,000 after buying an additional 5,317 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Northwest Natural Gas by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 23,956 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,023,000 after buying an additional 843 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake 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 during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural Gas by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 105,235 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,496,000 after purchasing an additional 9,612 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMS Capital Management purchased a new position in Northwest Natural Gas in the second quarter valued at approximately $564,000. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northwest Natural Gas Company 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.

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