Ameriprise Financial Inc. Purchases 40,310 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 553,004 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 40,310 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.61% of National Fuel Gas worth $33,561,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 243.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 102,672 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $6,223,000 after purchasing an additional 72,802 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 993 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,814 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $837,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Kwmg LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 104,467 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $6,339,000 after purchasing an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R.H. Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $81.17. 437,933 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 561,761. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market cap of $7.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -579.74 and a beta of 0.61. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $53.03 and a 52 week high of $83.35. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.18.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.21. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. The business had revenue of $729.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $770.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.79 EPS. National Fuel Gas's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is currently 479.07%.

National Fuel Gas Profile

National Fuel Gas Company operates as a diversified energy company. It operates through four segments: Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, and Utility. The Exploration and Production segment explores for, develops, and produces natural gas and oil. The Pipeline and Storage segment provides interstate natural gas transportation services through an integrated gas pipeline system in Pennsylvania and New York; and owns and operates underground natural gas storage fields.