Short Interest in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Decreases By 20.6%

Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,120,000 shares, a decrease of 20.6% from the April 30th total of 1,410,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 299,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.7 days. Currently, 2.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 255 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,827.30. This represents a 89.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,591 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.99, for a total transaction of $311,155.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 102,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,192,908.09. This trade represents a 6.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,774 shares of company stock worth $1,037,295 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Abound Wealth Management bought a new position in Northwest Natural during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northwest Natural during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 11,111.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,009 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural 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 in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 74.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company's stock.

Northwest Natural Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE NWN traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $39.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 338,436 shares, compared to its average volume of 249,149. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75 and a beta of 0.56. Northwest Natural has a 52 week low of $34.82 and a 52 week high of $44.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

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

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.93%. Northwest Natural's payout ratio is 77.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of 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.