Wellington Management Group LLP Purchases 84,860 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 142.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 144,317 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 84,860 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 0.16% of National Fuel Gas worth $8,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 223.2% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock traded down $1.78 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $81.88. 341,518 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 557,952. The company has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -584.82 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $79.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $53.03 and a 12-month 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.21. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. The company had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $770.81 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. National Fuel Gas's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend 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.