Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) Stock Price Up 2.4% – Still a Buy?

Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) traded up 2.4% on Friday . The company traded as high as $42.59 and last traded at $42.67. 145,142 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 38% from the average session volume of 234,696 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.69.

Northwest Natural Trading Up 2.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $370.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $395.05 million. Northwest Natural had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 5.89%. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.60%. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 137,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,692,876.86. This trade represents a 5.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 23,009 shares of company stock worth $949,578. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NWN. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 11,111.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,009 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC increased its position in Northwest Natural by 692.4% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Northwest Natural in the third quarter valued at about $61,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural in the third quarter worth about $78,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 74.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,054 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.