Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Shares Bought by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,655 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Northwest Natural worth $1,924,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Northwest Natural by 143.4% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 104,114 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,250,000 after acquiring an additional 61,345 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural in the third quarter worth about $532,000. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new position in Northwest Natural in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,068,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC acquired a new position in Northwest Natural during the 3rd quarter valued at about $12,250,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 568,991 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $23,226,000 after acquiring an additional 29,682 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

NYSE NWN opened at $41.91 on Tuesday. Northwest Natural Holding has a 12 month low of $34.82 and a 12 month high of $44.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $40.57. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.01). Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The firm had revenue of $370.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $395.05 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.68%. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.55%.

Insider Activity at Northwest Natural

In other Northwest Natural news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.97, for a total value of $307,275.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,336,014.74. This represents a 5.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 23,009 shares of company stock valued at $936,978 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural 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.