National Fuel Gas Company $NFG Stock: Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. Increases Stake

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors increased its National Fuel Gas stake by 75.5% in the third quarter, owning 91,770 shares worth approximately $6.96 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 73.96% of the company.
• National Fuel Gas reported quarterly EPS of $1.54, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.44, while revenue reached $537.5 million, up 1.1% year over year but below estimates.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share, representing a 2.8% yield. Analysts’ average rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $105.50 compared with the stock’s recent price of $78.42.

Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 75.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 91,770 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 39,479 shares during the quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. owned 0.10% of National Fuel Gas worth $6,962,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 24,910 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,923,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 3.5% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 4,541 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Optas LLC increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 5.3% during the first quarter. Optas LLC now owns 3,238 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 5.3% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 3,465 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 7.0% in the first quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $78.42 on Friday. National Fuel Gas Company has a one year low of $75.03 and a one year high of $97.06. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $80.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 3.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.89, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.40.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $537.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $564.33 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 26.97%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.64 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.51 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.5550 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is presently 30.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on NFG. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, August 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded National Fuel Gas from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

National Fuel Gas Company NYSE: NFG is a diversified energy company engaged in the exploration, production, gathering, transportation, storage and marketing of natural gas. Through its subsidiaries, the company operates across multiple segments of the natural gas value chain, with a concentration in the Appalachian Basin and the northeastern United States.

National Fuel's exploration and production operations are conducted primarily through Seneca Resources Company, which develops and produces natural gas in the Appalachian region.

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