Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Takes Position in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 6,617 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $270,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 1.3% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 32,188 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,198,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 7.5% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,089 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $220,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 4.3% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,547 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 439 shares during the period. Finally, Guardian Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 3.9% during the second quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,012 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Shares of NWN opened at $41.43 on Tuesday. 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 $41.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01 and a beta of 0.58.

Northwest Natural Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders 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 is a positive change from Northwest Natural’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.73%. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 89.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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