Short Interest in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Grows By 14.9%

Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 893,700 shares, an increase of 14.9% from the January 15th total of 777,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 215,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.2 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northwest Natural news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.33, for a total transaction of $309,975.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 137,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,692,876.86. The trade was a 5.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Northwest Natural

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Northwest Natural in the third quarter worth $34,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 11,111.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,009 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 692.4% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Northwest Natural in the third quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Northwest Natural in the third quarter valued at $78,000. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 14th.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

Shares of Northwest Natural stock traded down $0.38 during trading on Monday, reaching $40.68. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 117,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 210,423. 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 has a 12-month low of $34.82 and a 12-month high of $44.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $40.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.20.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.82%. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is 92.45%.

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.