Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Acquires 536 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 3.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,565 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 536 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Northwest Natural were worth $562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Northwest Natural by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,421,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $164,572,000 after acquiring an additional 71,214 shares in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC raised its position in Northwest Natural by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 475,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $17,680,000 after purchasing an additional 27,000 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 471,939 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $17,042,000 after buying an additional 15,523 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 465,504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $18,127,000 after buying an additional 26,540 shares during the period. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 298,760 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,634,000 after buying an additional 32,410 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Shares of Northwest Natural stock opened at $39.47 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $39.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.31 and a beta of 0.57. Northwest Natural Holding has a 52 week low of $34.82 and a 52 week high of $41.20.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 2nd. The utilities provider reported ($0.07) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.06. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 6.31% and a net margin of 7.18%. The business had revenue of $211.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $231.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.32 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $0.488 per share. This represents a $1.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is 85.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on NWN shares. Janney Montgomery Scott raised Northwest Natural from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $36.00 to $43.00 in a research note on Monday, August 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northwest Natural from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research 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.