Rep. Earl Blumenauer Buys Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Shares

Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) recently bought shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN). In a filing disclosed on December 07th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Northwest Natural stock on November 15th.

Representative Earl Blumenauer also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) on 9/19/2024.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Northwest Natural stock traded up $0.41 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $42.17. The stock had a trading volume of 31,541 shares, compared to its average volume of 272,167. 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 $40.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.14. Northwest Natural Holding has a 1 year low of $34.82 and a 1 year high of $44.25. The stock has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70 and a beta of 0.61.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The utilities provider reported ($0.71) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.79) by $0.08. The business had revenue of $136.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $132.47 million. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.65) EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.65%. This is a positive change from Northwest Natural’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northwest Natural

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWN. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 173.5% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 796 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 505 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Northwest Natural during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northwest Natural by 692.4% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC grew its stake in Northwest Natural by 12,044.4% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,084 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Northwest Natural in the third quarter worth $61,000. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 14th.

About Representative BLUMENAUER

Earl Blumenauer (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District. He assumed office on May 21, 1996. His current term ends on January 3, 2025. Blumenauer (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2024 election. He was first elected to the House in a special election in 1996. At the start of the 116th Congress, Blumenauer was a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means. Before joining Congress, Blumenauer was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1973 to 1978, a county commissioner in Multnomah County, Oregon from 1978 to 1985, and a city commissioner in Portland, Oregon from 1986 to 1996. Blumenauer was born in Portland, Oregon, on August 16, 1948. He graduated from Centennial High School in 1966, received a B.A. from Lewis and Clark College in 1970 and his J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School in 1976. He served as assistant to the president of Portland State University from 1970 to 1977.

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.