Bank of America Corp DE Decreases Stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Bank of America Corp DE lessened its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 165,158 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,753 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.41% of Northwest Natural worth $6,534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NWN. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 11,111.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,009 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 74.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,054 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 874 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Northwest Natural by 32.5% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,830 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 694 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Northwest Natural by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,906 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Finally, Spirit of America Management Corp NY lifted its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 78.9% during the 4th quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 3,400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

Northwest Natural stock opened at $40.79 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of 19.24 and a beta of 0.56. Northwest Natural Holding has a 52 week low of $34.82 and a 52 week high of $44.38. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.34. 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 (NYSE:NWN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $494.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $464.65 million. Northwest Natural had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 5.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.80%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northwest Natural news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total value of $92,690.18. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,827.30. This represents a 89.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,591 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.99, for a total transaction of $311,155.09. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 102,291 shares in the company, valued at $4,192,908.09. This represents a 6.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 24,774 shares of company stock valued at $1,037,295. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

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.