1,500 Shares in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Acquired by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $61,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Northwest Natural during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,031,000. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 2.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,817,813 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $74,203,000 after purchasing an additional 51,391 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 155.0% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,923 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 1,169 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 568,991 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $23,226,000 after buying an additional 29,682 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Northwest Natural in the 3rd quarter valued at $532,000. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northwest Natural Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NWN stock opened at $39.57 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $41.24 and a 200-day moving average of $39.39. The firm has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a PE ratio of 18.67 and a beta of 0.61. 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.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The utilities provider reported ($0.71) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $132.47 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.65) EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.95%. This is a positive change from Northwest Natural’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is currently 92.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company 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.