National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Stake Lifted by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 51,493 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after acquiring an additional 4,281 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of National Fuel Gas worth $3,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NFG. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 85,950 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.6% in the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 117,351 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,447,665 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $87,844,000 after purchasing an additional 70,332 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth about $67,393,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 989,487 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $60,043,000 after buying an additional 43,656 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NFG stock traded up $1.25 on Friday, hitting $80.45. The stock had a trading volume of 193,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 553,794. The stock's 50 day moving average is $76.59 and its 200-day moving average is $68.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -574.78 and a beta of 0.61. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $53.03 and a 52-week high of $80.69. 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 announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $729.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $770.81 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is presently -1,471.43%.

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.