Geode Capital Management LLC Acquires 24,510 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 908,715 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 24,510 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.26% of Northwest Natural worth $35,958,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 47.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 384,324 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $15,688,000 after purchasing an additional 123,961 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Northwest Natural during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,392,000. State Street Corp lifted its position 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 worth $74,203,000 after acquiring an additional 51,391 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 351.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 63,703 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,601,000 after purchasing an additional 49,606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC raised its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 348,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $13,783,000 after purchasing an additional 48,301 shares in the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

NWN traded up $0.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $42.94. 425,859 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 238,403. Northwest Natural Holding has a fifty-two week low of $34.82 and a fifty-two week high of $44.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.25 and a beta of 0.56. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $41.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.87.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last released 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). Northwest Natural had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 5.89%. The company had revenue of $370.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $395.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Northwest Natural

In other Northwest Natural news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total transaction of $92,690.18. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 255 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,827.30. The trade was a 89.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the firm's 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 owns 137,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,692,876.86. This represents a 5.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 25,192 shares of company stock worth $1,042,268. 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.