Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Sells 10,991 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) by 8.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 112,083 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 10,991 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 0.28% of Northwest Natural worth $4,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted 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 last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Northwest Natural during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,084 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Northwest Natural by 155.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,923 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in Northwest Natural by 257.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,738 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 2,692 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:NWN opened at $41.95 on Friday. Northwest Natural Holding has a 52-week low of $34.82 and a 52-week high of $44.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.79 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $40.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.10.

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

Northwest Natural Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were issued a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from Northwest Natural’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.67%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. Northwest Natural’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 92.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.