WNY Asset Management LLC Reduces Stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

WNY Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 18.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,289 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 5,278 shares during the period. WNY Asset Management LLC's holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,413,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 359,845 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $21,835,000 after buying an additional 3,928 shares in the last quarter. Novem Group bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $289,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 106.8% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 7,472 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $453,000 after acquiring an additional 3,859 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 212,426 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $12,890,000 after acquiring an additional 5,519 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 237.9% in the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 163,763 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $9,937,000 after purchasing an additional 115,293 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $82.29. 135,128 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 558,554. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $78.97 and a 200-day moving average of $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 market cap of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of -587.71 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $770.81 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.79 EPS. The business's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is presently 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.