Delphi Management Inc. MA Takes $1.54 Million Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Delphi Management Inc. MA acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 19,460 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $1,541,000. National Fuel Gas accounts for about 1.6% of Delphi Management Inc. MA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NFG. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $156,807,000 after acquiring an additional 85,950 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199,787 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $146,502,000 after acquiring an additional 117,351 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,447,665 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $87,844,000 after buying an additional 70,332 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $67,393,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 37.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,019,072 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $61,837,000 after buying an additional 279,857 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG traded up $0.69 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $83.23. The company had a trading volume of 368,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 558,719. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $79.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.68. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $53.03 and a 1-year high of $84.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $7.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -594.42 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $729.95 million during 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 was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. Analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is 479.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NFG. 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 note on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $82.33.

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.