Natixis Advisors LLC Invests $398,000 in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 10,069 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $398,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWN. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 6,079 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Northwest Natural by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,223 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Northwest Natural by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,906 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,401 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $506,000 after buying an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,475 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NWN opened at $41.68 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.65. Northwest Natural Holding has a twelve month low of $34.82 and a twelve month high of $44.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.66 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last issued its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $370.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $395.05 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.55%.

Insider Activity at Northwest Natural

In related news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.97, for a total value of $307,275.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 130,242 shares in the company, valued at $5,336,014.74. This trade represents a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 23,009 shares of company stock worth $949,578 in the last 90 days. 0.84% of the stock is currently 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.