National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) Shares Sold by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1.8%, now holding 904,223 shares valued at $71.6 million.
• National Fuel Gas Company announced a quarterly dividend boost to $0.535, reflecting an annualized yield of 2.4% and a payout ratio of 80.45%.
• The company's latest earnings report showed $1.64 per share, exceeding estimates, with a revenue increase of 27.4% year-over-year.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 904,223 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 16,663 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 1.00% of National Fuel Gas worth $71,605,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the first quarter worth approximately $203,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 5.7% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 13,184 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,044,000 after buying an additional 712 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 18.5% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,908 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 29,652.6% in the first quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 5,653 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 5,634 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.4%

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $87.73 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.46 and a quick ratio of 0.39. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1-year low of $58.32 and a 1-year high of $89.82. The company has a market cap of $7.93 billion, a PE ratio of 32.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.65. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $85.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $79.92.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.81% and a net margin of 11.15%. The firm had revenue of $531.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $596.12 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 27.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a $0.535 dividend. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America raised National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $85.00 to $107.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $96.67.

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.

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