Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 24.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 161,461 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 31,300 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned 0.18% of National Fuel Gas worth $12,786,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 223.2% in the fourth 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 period. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at $40,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:NFG traded down $0.05 on Tuesday, hitting $88.53. The stock had a trading volume of 207,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 572,205. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $8.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 205.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1 year low of $56.29 and a 1 year high of $89.82. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $83.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.22.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released 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 analyst estimates of $770.81 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. National Fuel Gas's revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were given a $0.535 dividend. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 497.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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