81,320 Shares in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Bought by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 81,320 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $4,934,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.09% of National Fuel Gas as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. S.A. Mason LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 453 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NFG traded down $0.30 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $81.53. 329,668 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 557,770. The company's 50-day moving average price is $79.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -582.32 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $53.03 and a 1-year high of $84.27.

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

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. National Fuel Gas's 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.