Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Increases Stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 227.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,197 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after acquiring an additional 30,003 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $2,621,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $156,807,000 after acquiring an additional 85,950 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199,787 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $146,502,000 after purchasing an additional 117,351 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,447,665 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $87,844,000 after buying an additional 70,332 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth $67,393,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 37.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,019,072 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $61,837,000 after buying an additional 279,857 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on NFG shares. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NFG traded up $0.47 during trading on Friday, reaching $81.90. 666,298 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 560,049. The stock has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -584.96 and a beta of 0.61. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $77.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 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 $83.35.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. The business had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $770.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.79 EPS. The business's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is 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.