Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Makes New $270,000 Investment in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

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

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NWN. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 113.2% in 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 lifted its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 406.0% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 144,198 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $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% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 1,040.1% during the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 68,977 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,467,000 after acquiring an additional 62,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural during the second quarter worth $2,031,000. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NWN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded 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 research report on Monday, August 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Northwest Natural from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th.

Northwest Natural Trading Up 1.3 %

Northwest Natural stock opened at $41.43 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.01 and a beta of 0.58. Northwest Natural Holding has a fifty-two week low of $34.82 and a fifty-two week high of $41.90. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $39.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Northwest Natural Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.73%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This is a boost from Northwest Natural’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is currently 89.91%.

Northwest Natural Company Profile

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.