Northern Trust Corp Sells 52,943 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Northern Trust Corp cut its stake in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 425,909 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 52,943 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.06% of Northwest Natural worth $16,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 6,079 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,223 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,906 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,475 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $375,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 31,020 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,227,000 after buying an additional 654 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:NWN traded up $0.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $41.08. The stock had a trading volume of 258,388 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,108. Northwest Natural Holding has a 12 month low of $34.82 and a 12 month high of $44.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of 19.38 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's fifty day moving average is $42.13 and its 200 day moving average is $41.27. 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 (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $494.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $464.65 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.77%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.78%.

Insider Activity at Northwest Natural

In other Northwest Natural news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 255 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,827.30. This trade represents a 89.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total value of $322,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 109,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,724,926. The trade was a 6.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 25,192 shares of company stock valued at $1,054,793 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company increased 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 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.