Price Capital Management Inc. Makes New Investment in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG)

Price Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 18,690 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $1,480,000. National Fuel Gas comprises approximately 3.7% of Price Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Horizon Investment Services LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.5% in the first quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 6,618 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $524,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1.2% in the first quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 15,598 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,288 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 12.7% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,045 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $159,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NFG stock traded down $0.38 on Thursday, hitting $87.20. The stock had a trading volume of 421,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 643,419. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $83.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.56. National Fuel Gas Company has a one year low of $56.29 and a one year high of $89.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $7.88 billion, a PE ratio of 202.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.62.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.21. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 18.55% and a net margin of 1.91%. The firm had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $770.81 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. National Fuel Gas's revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a $0.535 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is presently 497.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NFG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $88.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $85.00 to $107.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.33.

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.