7,091 Shares in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Bought by Focus Partners Wealth

Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 7,091 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $430,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,288 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $442,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 20,291 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:NFG traded up $1.92 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $82.47. 480,329 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 560,759. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $78.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -589.04 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $53.03 and a 52-week high of $83.35.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $770.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 479.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NFG. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $82.33.

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.