Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Position Lifted by Gabelli Funds LLC

Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 520,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Northwest Natural were worth $20,571,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Northwest Natural by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,713,729 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $186,475,000 after buying an additional 28,078 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,817,813 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $74,203,000 after acquiring an additional 51,391 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 908,715 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,958,000 after acquiring an additional 24,510 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Northwest Natural by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 615,126 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $24,334,000 after purchasing an additional 46,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 454,248 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $17,970,000 after purchasing an additional 16,497 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Stock Up 0.9 %

NWN stock opened at $42.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $41.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.82. 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 Holding has a 1-year low of $34.82 and a 1-year high of $44.25. The firm has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99 and a beta of 0.56.

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). Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The business had revenue of $370.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $395.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Northwest Natural’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.63%. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total value of $92,690.18. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 255 shares in the company, valued at $10,827.30. This trade represents a 89.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the business’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 $5,336,014.74. This trade represents a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,192 shares of company stock valued at $1,042,268 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

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.