Vanguard Group Inc. Boosts Holdings in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,713,729 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 28,078 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.75% of Northwest Natural worth $186,475,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 47.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 384,324 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $15,688,000 after acquiring an additional 123,961 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 125,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,959,000 after purchasing an additional 26,152 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 51,391 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew 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 valued at $24,334,000 after purchasing an additional 46,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in Northwest Natural by 351.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 63,703 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,601,000 after purchasing an additional 49,606 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Northwest Natural

In other Northwest Natural news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the business's 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 directly owns 255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,827.30. The trade was a 89.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.97, for a total value of $307,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,336,014.74. This trade represents a 5.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 ninety days. Insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Northwest Natural Stock Up 1.3 %

Northwest Natural stock traded up $0.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $41.25. The stock had a trading volume of 202,376 shares, compared to its average volume of 237,645. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $41.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46 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 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 announced 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 return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The firm had revenue of $370.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $395.05 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. Northwest Natural's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.75%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Northwest Natural's payout ratio is currently 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.