Bayforest Capital Ltd Has $387,000 Holdings in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG)

Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its position in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 16,186.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,886 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 4,856 shares during the quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd's holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $387,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 9,475.0% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 383 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 223.2% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 656 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE NFG traded down $0.13 on Friday, hitting $86.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 892,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 660,605. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1-year low of $56.29 and a 1-year high of $89.82. The company's 50-day moving average is $84.71 and its 200 day moving average is $78.74. The firm has a market cap of $7.83 billion, a PE ratio of 32.58, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.65.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 11.15% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The firm had revenue of $531.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $596.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. The company's revenue was up 27.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a $0.535 dividend. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. Bank of America raised shares of National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $85.00 to $107.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $88.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $95.33.

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.