Insider Selling: Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) VP Sells 920 Shares of Stock

Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN – Get Rating) VP David A. Weber sold 920 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.38, for a total value of $40,829.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,254.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

NWN traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $43.89. The company had a trading volume of 90,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 166,595. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $46.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.73. The company has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.25, a P/E/G ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.59. Northwest Natural Holding has a 1 year low of $42.37 and a 1 year high of $55.97.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $462.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $365.46 million. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 8.85%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 32.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 28th were issued a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.42%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 27th. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is currently 67.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NWN shares. TheStreet upgraded Northwest Natural from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Friday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Northwest Natural from $57.00 to $59.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th. Maxim Group cut Northwest Natural from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $52.00 target price on shares of Northwest Natural in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Northwest Natural in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “sell” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NWN. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 205,791 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,787,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Northwest Natural in the 1st quarter valued at $12,541,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 290,386 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,811,000 after acquiring an additional 2,246 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 338,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,116,000 after acquiring an additional 24,801 shares during the period. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of Northwest Natural during the 1st quarter worth $1,635,000. 74.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Company Profile

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Northwest Natural Holding Co engages in the local distribution of gas and water through its subsidiaries. It supplies natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Oregon and southwest Washington. The company founded in 1859 and is headquartered in Portland, OR.