Nomura Holdings Inc. Invests $736,000 in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 12,122 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $736,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $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 increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 223.2% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 656 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE NFG opened at $81.29 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $53.03 and a 52-week high of $83.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $78.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.41. The stock has a market cap of $7.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -580.60 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.21. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. The firm had revenue of $729.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $770.81 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.79 EPS. The company's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 479.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.67.

About National Fuel Gas

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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