Koch Industries Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:NWBI) by 58.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 19,207 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,074 shares during the quarter. Koch Industries Inc.’s holdings in Northwest Bancshares were worth $321,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in shares of Northwest Bancshares by 2.5% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 7,284 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Bancshares during the third quarter valued at $205,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Bancshares during the third quarter valued at $217,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Bancshares during the fourth quarter valued at $228,000. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northwest Bancshares during the third quarter valued at $301,000. 67.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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In related news, EVP Gerald J. Ritzert sold 10,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.57, for a total transaction of $178,956.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 45,857 shares in the company, valued at $759,850.49. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Philip M. Tredway sold 5,714 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.18, for a total value of $98,166.52. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,888 shares in the company, valued at $376,035.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,371 shares of company stock worth $647,733 over the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

A number of research firms recently commented on NWBI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Northwest Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Zacks Investment Research lowered Northwest Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Boenning Scattergood reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Northwest Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, BidaskClub raised Northwest Bancshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.33.

Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI) opened at $17.17 on Wednesday. Northwest Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.95 and a 12-month high of $17.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $1,764.33, a PE ratio of 20.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Northwest Bancshares (NASDAQ:NWBI) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.01. Northwest Bancshares had a return on equity of 7.23% and a net margin of 20.11%. The firm had revenue of $107.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $108.15 million. analysts predict that Northwest Bancshares, Inc. will post 1.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 1st were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. This is an increase from Northwest Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.96%. Northwest Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 73.91%.

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Northwest Bancshares Profile

Northwest Bancshares, Inc (Northwest) is a savings and loan holding company. The Company’s principal business consists of attracting deposits and making loans secured by various types of collateral, including real estate and other assets in the markets in which it operates. Its segments include Community Banking and Consumer Finance.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Northwest Bancshares (NASDAQ:NWBI)

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