Advisors Asset Management Inc. Grows Position in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 27.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 133,108 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 28,994 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Northwest Natural were worth $5,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its position in Northwest Natural by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 6,079 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in Northwest Natural by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,223 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,906 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 3.2% during the third quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,401 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $506,000 after buying an additional 389 shares during the period. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,475 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $375,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northwest Natural Stock Up 0.2 %

NWN opened at $42.06 on Thursday. Northwest Natural Holding has a 52 week low of $34.82 and a 52 week high of $44.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $40.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.84 and a beta of 0.59.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last released 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 return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The company had revenue of $370.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $395.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Northwest Natural’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.66%. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.55%.

Insider Activity at Northwest Natural

In other news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.33, for a total value of $309,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 137,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,692,876.86. This trade represents a 5.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 23,009 shares of company stock worth $936,978 over the last three months. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.