Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) Sets New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $44.49 and last traded at $42.74, with a volume of 13446 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.20.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Northwest Natural Trading Down 1.7 %

The firm has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a 50 day moving average of $42.23 and a 200 day moving average of $41.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $494.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $464.65 million. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. Northwest Natural's revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.58%. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 96.55%.

Insider Activity at Northwest Natural

In other Northwest Natural news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 117,382 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,866,657.72. The trade was a 6.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,827.30. This represents a 89.54 % 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 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWN. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Northwest Natural by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,755,844 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $203,170,000 after acquiring an additional 42,115 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 24,510 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 17,391 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Northwest Natural by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 634,622 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,111,000 after buying an additional 19,496 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 1.6% in the fourth 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 last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.