National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Acquired by Two Sigma Advisers LP

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 84.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,800 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 40,700 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned approximately 0.10% of National Fuel Gas worth $5,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. Norges Bank purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $67,393,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,019,072 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $61,837,000 after purchasing an additional 279,857 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth $16,906,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth $9,067,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199,787 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $146,502,000 after purchasing an additional 117,351 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NFG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NFG traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $81.80. 79,900 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 656,682. The stock has a market cap of $7.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -584.24 and a beta of 0.61. The stock's 50-day moving average is $78.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.38. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $53.03 and a 12 month high of $83.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

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

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is presently 479.07%.

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.