Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) CEO David Hugo Anderson Sells 7,500 Shares

Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.78, for a total transaction of $298,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 144,298 shares in the company, valued at $5,740,174.44. This represents a 4.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Northwest Natural Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NWN stock opened at $39.68 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $41.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.46. 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 $44.25. The company has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a PE ratio of 18.72 and a beta of 0.61.

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. Northwest Natural had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 5.89%. The firm had revenue of $136.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $132.47 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.65) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural in the third quarter worth $12,250,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural in the 3rd quarter worth $7,390,000. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Northwest Natural during the 3rd quarter worth about $5,068,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised 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 valued at $5,207,000 after buying an additional 115,698 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 1,040.1% in the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 68,977 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,467,000 after buying an additional 62,927 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.