Voloridge Investment Management LLC Boosts Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 237.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 163,763 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 115,293 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC owned about 0.18% of National Fuel Gas worth $9,937,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 9,122 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $551,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth $238,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth $67,393,000. ING Groep NV acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth $1,086,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $862,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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, Wall Street Zen raised National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE:NFG traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $81.93. 393,274 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 559,262. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of -585.17 and a beta of 0.61. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $78.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.24. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $53.03 and a 1 year high of $83.68.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $729.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $770.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.79 earnings per share. National Fuel Gas's revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 479.07%.

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.