KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases New Holdings in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 15,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $605,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NWN. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Northwest Natural by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 26,312 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,041,000 after buying an additional 1,027 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Northwest Natural during the 4th quarter worth about $204,000. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its holdings in Northwest Natural by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 72,933 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,885,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 46,619 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,844,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Northwest Natural by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 133,108 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,266,000 after purchasing an additional 28,994 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northwest Natural news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total value of $92,690.18. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,827.30. This trade represents a 89.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.97, for a total transaction of $307,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,336,014.74. This trade represents a 5.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,192 shares of company stock worth $1,042,268 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NWN opened at $43.18 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $41.20 and its 200-day moving average is $40.75. Northwest Natural Holding has a twelve month low of $34.82 and a twelve month high of $44.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37 and a beta of 0.59.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.01). Northwest Natural had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 5.89%. The firm had revenue of $370.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $395.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is currently 96.55%.

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.