Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New $1.15 Million Investment in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 29,088 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,151,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.07% of Northwest Natural as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NWN. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in Northwest Natural by 11,111.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,009 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC increased its position in Northwest Natural by 692.4% during 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 last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Northwest Natural in the 3rd quarter valued at $61,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural during the 3rd quarter valued at $78,000. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 74.1% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,054 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 874 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.13% of the company's stock.

Northwest Natural Trading Up 0.6 %

Northwest Natural stock traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $40.30. The stock had a trading volume of 308,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 237,142. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $41.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $40.78. Northwest Natural Holding has a twelve month low of $34.82 and a twelve month high of $44.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01 and a beta of 0.56.

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 the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $395.05 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northwest Natural

In other news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.97, for a total transaction of $307,275.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130,242 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,336,014.74. The trade was a 5.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total value of $92,690.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,827.30. This represents a 89.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 25,192 shares of company stock valued at $1,042,268 over the last three months. 0.84% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.