Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 6,194 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 39.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,547 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,194 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northwest Natural were worth $372,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 74.5% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 27,097 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 11,571 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new position in shares of Northwest Natural in the fourth quarter worth about $138,000. Legato Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 638.6% in the fourth quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 55,722 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,170,000 after acquiring an additional 48,178 shares during the last quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,009 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 45,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,752,000 after acquiring an additional 9,820 shares during the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of Northwest Natural in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $39.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.20.

Northwest Natural Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE NWN opened at $36.58 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.58. Northwest Natural Holding has a fifty-two week low of $34.95 and a fifty-two week high of $48.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.31 by ($0.10). Northwest Natural had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 7.52%. The business had revenue of $355.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $368.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.36 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.27 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.488 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.34%. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.00%.

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.