Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors Purchases 3,190 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors lifted its position in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 35.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,304 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,190 shares during the period. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors’ holdings in Northwest Natural were worth $479,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Northwest Natural by 372.0% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 445,329 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $23,647,000 after acquiring an additional 350,988 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Northwest Natural in the fourth quarter worth $15,541,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Northwest Natural by 7.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,878,324 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $200,586,000 after acquiring an additional 277,421 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Northwest Natural by 16.9% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,562,357 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $80,805,000 after acquiring an additional 226,118 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Northwest Natural by 23.7% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 910,894 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,760,000 after acquiring an additional 174,587 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Shares of Northwest Natural stock opened at $35.73 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.74 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.62. Northwest Natural Holding has a 12 month low of $34.95 and a 12 month high of $48.37.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.31 by ($0.10). The firm 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.29 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.488 per share. This represents a $1.95 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on Northwest Natural in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $39.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northwest Natural has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.20.

About Northwest Natural

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.