Insider Selling: Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) CEO Sells 7,500 Shares of Stock

Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.33, for a total transaction 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

David Hugo Anderson also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, December 20th, David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.78, for a total transaction of $298,350.00.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

NWN traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $39.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 173,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 197,138. The stock has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.73 and a beta of 0.62. Northwest Natural Holding has a twelve month low of $34.82 and a twelve month high of $44.25. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.02. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The utilities provider reported ($0.71) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.79) by $0.08. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The business had revenue of $136.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $132.47 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.65) earnings per share. Northwest Natural's quarterly revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.94%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. Northwest Natural's payout ratio is 92.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 14th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northwest Natural

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural in the third quarter valued at $34,000. LRI Investments LLC raised its holdings in Northwest Natural by 692.4% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 55.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,235 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Northwest Natural during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in Northwest Natural by 155.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,923 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 1,169 shares in the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Northwest Natural

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.

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