Two Sigma Investments LP Buys 99,412 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 90.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 209,594 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after acquiring an additional 99,412 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP owned approximately 0.23% of National Fuel Gas worth $12,718,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. S.A. Mason LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 223.2% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 656 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on NFG. Bank of America lifted their target price on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.9%

NFG traded up $0.72 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $83.14. 407,319 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 560,145. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $78.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $71.08. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $53.03 and a fifty-two week high of $83.37. The stock has a market cap of $7.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -593.82 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. The business had revenue of $729.95 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $770.81 million. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. The firm's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.79 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is 479.07%.

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.