AM Investment Strategies LLC Purchases Shares of 3,510 Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

AM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,510 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $137,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NWN. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 23.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 910,894 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,760,000 after purchasing an additional 174,587 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 2,752.6% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 172,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 166,062 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 26.0% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 362,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,823,000 after purchasing an additional 74,776 shares during the period. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural during the third quarter worth about $2,311,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 103.0% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 97,001 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,702,000 after purchasing an additional 49,225 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NWN traded up $0.08 on Thursday, hitting $38.66. 202,668 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 340,210. The company has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 14.87 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.86. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.59. Northwest Natural Holding has a one year low of $34.95 and a one year high of $48.37.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $355.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $368.78 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.36 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.488 per share. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 75.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Northwest Natural Company 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.