Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC Takes Position in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG)

Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,500 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $515,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 46.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,814 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 578 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 93,429 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $5,717,000 after buying an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $367,000. Finally, ING Groep NV bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth $1,086,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 1.0%

NFG stock traded up $0.85 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $85.42. The company had a trading volume of 694,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 559,257. The company has a 50 day moving average of $80.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.36. The company has a market capitalization of $7.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 198.66, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1 year low of $53.88 and a 1 year high of $85.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

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. 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 return on equity of 18.55% and a net margin of 1.91%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.79 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 497.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $82.33.

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.