6,157 Shares in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Acquired by Watershed Asset Management L.L.C.

Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,157 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $240,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 18,051 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $703,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Grace & White Inc. NY grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. Grace & White Inc. NY now owns 88,259 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,437,000 after acquiring an additional 21,495 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 292.4% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 56,805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,212,000 after acquiring an additional 42,327 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 21,608 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $841,000 after acquiring an additional 4,783 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the period. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northwest Natural Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NWN traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $38.58. 343,982 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 341,848. The company’s 50-day moving average is $36.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.81 and a beta of 0.57. Northwest Natural Holding has a 1 year low of $34.95 and a 1 year high of $48.37.

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

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a $0.488 dividend. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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