Raymond James Financial Inc. Invests $1.15 Million in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 29,088 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,151,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.07% of Northwest Natural as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 11,111.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,009 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Northwest Natural in the 3rd quarter worth about $61,000. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Northwest Natural by 74.1% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,054 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Northwest Natural by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,906 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spirit of America Management Corp NY grew its holdings in Northwest Natural by 78.9% in the fourth quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 3,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northwest Natural

In other Northwest Natural news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.97, for a total transaction of $307,275.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 130,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,336,014.74. This trade represents a 5.44 % 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 on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total transaction of $92,690.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,192 shares of company stock valued at $1,054,793. Insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Northwest Natural Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NWN stock traded down $0.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $42.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 318,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 245,934. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.72. Northwest Natural Holding has a 52-week low of $34.82 and a 52-week high of $44.38. The stock has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $42.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.25.

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

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued 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 4.58%. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio is currently 96.55%.

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.