Hsbc Holdings PLC Increases Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 54.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,314 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 9,281 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,595,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 20,291 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 13,765 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $842,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE NFG traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $82.40. The stock had a trading volume of 47,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 556,924. The business's 50 day moving average is $77.10 and its 200-day moving average is $69.06. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $53.03 and a 52 week high of $82.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a P/E ratio of -588.24 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) 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 prior year, the firm posted $1.79 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

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