Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Shares Acquired by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its holdings in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 355,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned about 0.89% of Northwest Natural worth $14,060,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 520,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $20,571,000 after buying an additional 8,000 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural in the fourth quarter worth $496,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its position in Northwest Natural by 136.2% during the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 12,572 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 7,250 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 74,863 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,962,000 after buying an additional 11,160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Northwest Natural in the fourth quarter worth about $1,151,000. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was 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 directly owns 137,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,692,876.86. This trade represents a 5.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,827.30. This trade represents a 89.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,192 shares of company stock valued at $1,042,268. Corporate insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

NWN stock traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $42.94. 425,859 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 238,403. The company has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.25 and a beta of 0.56. Northwest Natural Holding has a 12-month low of $34.82 and a 12-month high of $44.25. The stock's 50 day moving average is $41.56 and its 200 day moving average is $40.87. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $370.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $395.05 million. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The business's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.57%. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio is presently 96.55%.

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.