Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 43,656 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 989,487 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 43,656 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.09% of National Fuel Gas worth $60,043,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Norges Bank purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth $67,393,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at $16,906,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth about $9,067,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199,787 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $146,502,000 after purchasing an additional 117,351 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $156,807,000 after purchasing an additional 85,950 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $82.43. 38,674 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 556,880. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a 50 day moving average of $77.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.06. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $53.03 and a fifty-two week high of $82.84. The stock has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a P/E ratio of -588.78 and a beta of 0.61.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $770.81 million. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.79 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is currently 479.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on 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 raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.67.

About National Fuel Gas

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.