Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Raises Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 106.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,472 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 3,859 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. S.A. Mason LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 223.2% during 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 buying an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America raised their price target 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NFG traded down $1.32 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $81.85. 369,786 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 559,925. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $53.03 and a 12 month high of $83.93. The company has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -584.61 and a beta of 0.61. The company's fifty day moving average price is $78.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 business's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 479.07%.

National Fuel Gas Company 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.