Barclays PLC Raises Stock Position in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Barclays PLC grew its stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 351.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,606 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.16% of Northwest Natural worth $2,601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 13,978 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $571,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Northwest Natural by 55.2% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,235 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Northwest Natural by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,012 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Northwest Natural by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 29,507 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,204,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Northwest Natural

In related news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.78, for a total value of $298,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 144,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,740,174.44. This trade represents a 4.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.84% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 14th.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

Northwest Natural stock opened at $39.68 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $41.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.43. Northwest Natural Holding has a 12-month low of $34.82 and a 12-month high of $44.25. The stock has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72 and a beta of 0.61.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The utilities provider reported ($0.71) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.79) by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $136.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $132.47 million. Northwest Natural had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 5.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.65) EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Northwest Natural Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.94%. This is an increase from Northwest Natural’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.45%.

Northwest Natural 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.