First Trust Advisors LP Has $100.77 Million Position in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 35.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,072,487 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 282,071 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 1.13% of National Fuel Gas worth $100,771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,086,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 84.6% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 61,728 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $4,942,000 after acquiring an additional 28,293 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 315,753 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $25,911,000 after purchasing an additional 24,988 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at about $63,863,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 294.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 13,976 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 10,437 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NFG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded National Fuel Gas from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday. KeyCorp initiated coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $82.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $78.85 and a 200-day moving average of $84.44. National Fuel Gas Company has a 52-week low of $75.17 and a 52-week high of $97.06. The stock has a market cap of $7.83 billion, a PE ratio of 11.15, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.37.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.85 by ($0.14). National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 27.48%.The business had revenue of $858.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $856.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. National Fuel Gas's revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.66 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.04%.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

National Fuel Gas Company NYSE: NFG is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.

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