Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) Sets New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $44.38 and last traded at $44.21, with a volume of 136252 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $43.16.

Northwest Natural Stock Down 0.3 %

The stock has a market cap of $1.77 billion, a PE ratio of 20.68 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $41.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

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 firm had revenue of $370.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $395.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.47%. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northwest Natural news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total value of $92,690.18. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 255 shares in the company, valued at $10,827.30. This represents a 89.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.46, for a total transaction of $310,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 117,382 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,866,657.72. This trade represents a 6.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 25,192 shares of company stock worth $1,054,793. Insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Northwest Natural by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,713,729 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $186,475,000 after acquiring an additional 28,078 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 908,715 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,958,000 after purchasing an additional 24,510 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 715,951 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,323,000 after purchasing an additional 17,391 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Northwest Natural by 8.1% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC raised its holdings in Northwest Natural by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 520,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $20,571,000 after buying an additional 8,000 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.