MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Acquires 8,542 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 363,548 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,542 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. owned about 0.91% of Northwest Natural worth $14,382,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 80.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 110,152 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,358,000 after acquiring an additional 49,140 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Northwest Natural by 36.5% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 37,925 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,500,000 after purchasing an additional 10,132 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Northwest Natural during the 4th quarter worth approximately $186,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in Northwest Natural during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,161,000. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Northwest Natural by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 95,623 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,783,000 after purchasing an additional 21,459 shares in the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Northwest Natural

In other Northwest Natural news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total value of $92,690.18. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 255 shares in the company, valued at $10,827.30. The trade was a 89.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total value of $322,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 109,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,724,926. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,192 shares of company stock valued at $1,054,793. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northwest Natural Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE NWN traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $41.89. The company had a trading volume of 157,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 247,775. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.69 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 1-year low of $34.82 and a 1-year high of $44.38. The firm's 50 day moving average is $42.14 and its 200-day moving average is $41.31.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The business had revenue of $494.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $464.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.69 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio is currently 77.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About Northwest Natural

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.