Aspiriant LLC Makes New $240,000 Investment in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG)

Aspiriant LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 3,028 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $240,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 46.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,814 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 578 shares in the last quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $367,000. ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,086,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 13,240 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $803,000 after purchasing an additional 3,539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 11,826 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $718,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NFG traded up $0.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $85.66. 676,059 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 558,715. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.43. National Fuel Gas Company has a 12 month low of $53.88 and a 12 month high of $86.17. The company has a 50 day moving average of $81.17 and a 200-day moving average of $73.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 199.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.21. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 18.55%. The business had revenue of $729.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $770.81 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.79 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a $0.535 dividend. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is 479.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. One research 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $82.33.

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.