Penn Capital Management Company LLC Sells 40,977 Shares of Northwest Natural Gas Company $NWN

Penn Capital Management Company LLC decreased its holdings in Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN) by 71.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 40,977 shares during the quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC’s holdings in Northwest Natural Gas were worth $760,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 30,005 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,348,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,783 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 77.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 807 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 104.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its position in Northwest Natural Gas by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,542 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.13% of the company’s stock.

Northwest Natural Gas Price Performance

Northwest Natural Gas stock opened at $50.36 on Thursday. Northwest Natural Gas Company has a 52 week low of $39.25 and a 52 week high of $55.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $52.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $49.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.19 and a beta of 0.47.

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE:NWN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.40 by ($0.07). Northwest Natural Gas had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 9.56%.The firm had revenue of $490.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $538.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.28 EPS. Northwest Natural Gas’s quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Northwest Natural Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Northwest Natural Gas Company will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northwest Natural Gas Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $0.4925 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $1.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Northwest Natural Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.24%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP David A. Weber sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.57, for a total transaction of $89,369.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 149 shares in the company, valued at $7,832.93. This trade represents a 91.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,704 shares of company stock worth $89,579. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NWN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research report on Monday, May 11th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Freedom Capital raised shares of Northwest Natural Gas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Northwest Natural Gas from $52.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Northwest Natural Gas from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Northwest Natural Gas in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northwest Natural Gas has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.25.

Northwest Natural Gas Company Profile

Northwest Natural Gas (NYSE: NWN), commonly known as NW Natural, is a publicly traded energy utility primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company operates an extensive pipeline network spanning thousands of miles across Oregon and southwest Washington. Its core business activities include gas procurement, system operation and maintenance, safety inspections and customer service support.

Dating back to the mid-19th century, Northwest Natural traces its origins to the Portland Gas Light Company, which first illuminated Portland streets with manufactured gas in 1859.