Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Stake Lowered by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp cut its stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 222,310 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 29,158 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned approximately 0.55% of Northwest Natural worth $8,795,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 47.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 384,324 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $15,688,000 after purchasing an additional 123,961 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Northwest Natural by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 125,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,959,000 after buying an additional 26,152 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Northwest Natural by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 615,126 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $24,334,000 after buying an additional 46,135 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in Northwest Natural by 351.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 63,703 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,601,000 after buying an additional 49,606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northwest Natural in the third quarter worth $270,000. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Northwest Natural

In related news, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total transaction of $322,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 109,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,724,926. This represents a 6.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total value of $92,690.18. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,827.30. This trade represents a 89.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,192 shares of company stock valued at $1,054,793. Insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Northwest Natural Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:NWN traded down $0.63 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $43.15. The stock had a trading volume of 290,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 245,381. Northwest Natural Holding has a fifty-two week low of $34.82 and a fifty-two week high of $44.38. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $41.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.10. The stock has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.35 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 (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.01). Northwest Natural had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 5.89%. The business had revenue of $370.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $395.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Northwest Natural's 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.