Capital Fund Management S.A. Makes New $1.15 Million Investment in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Capital Fund Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 18,987 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $1,152,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.4% in the fourth 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199,787 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $146,502,000 after acquiring an additional 117,351 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $67,393,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $16,906,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock traded down $1.00 on Monday, hitting $77.96. The stock had a trading volume of 42,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 548,198. The stock has a market cap of $7.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -558.14 and a beta of 0.61. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $52.66 and a 52-week high of $80.14. The company's 50 day moving average price is $75.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS 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 paid a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.64%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,471.43%.

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.