Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 893,700 shares, a growth of 14.9% from the January 15th total of 777,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 215,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.2 days.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Shares of Northwest Natural stock traded down $0.38 on Monday, hitting $40.68. 117,268 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 210,423. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 0.62. Northwest Natural has a 1 year low of $34.82 and a 1 year high of $44.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Northwest Natural Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.82%. Northwest Natural’s payout ratio is 92.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO David Hugo Anderson sold 7,500 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.78, for a total transaction of $298,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 144,298 shares in the company, valued at $5,740,174.44. This trade represents a 4.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Northwest Natural

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 6,079 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Northwest Natural by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,223 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Northwest Natural by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 13,978 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $571,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Northwest Natural by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,906 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guardian Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Northwest Natural by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,401 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. 75.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.