US Bancorp DE Sells 11,086 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

US Bancorp DE lessened its stake in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 30.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,720 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 11,086 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE owned approximately 0.07% of Northwest Natural worth $1,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWN. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in Northwest Natural by 113.2% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 235,400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,762,000 after buying an additional 125,000 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Northwest Natural by 406.0% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 144,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,207,000 after buying an additional 115,698 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,421,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $164,572,000 after purchasing an additional 71,214 shares in the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 1,040.1% in the 2nd quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 68,977 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,467,000 after purchasing an additional 62,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural in the 1st quarter worth $2,156,000. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Shares of NWN opened at $40.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Northwest Natural Holding has a one year low of $34.82 and a one year high of $41.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.74 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $39.90 and a 200 day moving average of $38.53.

Northwest Natural Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.80%. This is a positive change from Northwest Natural’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is presently 89.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on NWN shares. StockNews.com raised Northwest Natural from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised Northwest Natural from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $43.00 in a report on Monday, August 5th.

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.