Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Sells 1,875 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 24.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,675 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,875 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Northwest Natural were worth $232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $8,762,000 after purchasing an additional 125,000 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Northwest Natural by 406.0% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 144,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,207,000 after acquiring an additional 115,698 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 71,214 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 1,040.1% during 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, WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,031,000. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northwest Natural Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of Northwest Natural stock opened at $43.78 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a PE ratio of 20.65 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.73. 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 Holding has a 12 month low of $34.82 and a 12 month high of $43.98.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The utilities provider reported ($0.71) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.79) by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $136.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $132.47 million. Northwest Natural had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 5.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.65) EPS. Research analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This is an increase from Northwest Natural’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is presently 92.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northwest Natural from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of Northwest Natural from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $43.00 in a research note 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.