Aquatic Capital Management LLC Buys Shares of 11,075 National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 11,075 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $672,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at $67,393,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth about $16,906,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,067,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199,787 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $146,502,000 after acquiring an additional 117,351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $156,807,000 after acquiring an additional 85,950 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NFG traded down $0.05 during trading on Monday, reaching $82.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 742,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 557,951. The company has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -588.46 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a fifty day moving average of $76.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.83. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $53.03 and a twelve month high of $84.48.

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

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.515 dividend. 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 2.50%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 479.07%.

National Fuel Gas Company 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.