Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Raises Stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 163.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,464 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 5,250 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth $67,393,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at about $16,906,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth about $9,067,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $146,502,000 after acquiring an additional 117,351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 3.4% during the 4th 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 4.1 %

NFG traded up $3.28 during trading on Friday, hitting $82.48. The stock had a trading volume of 1,093,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 557,211. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.79. 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 has a twelve month low of $53.03 and a twelve month high of $82.70. The company has a market capitalization of $7.47 billion, a PE ratio of -589.10 and a beta of 0.61.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $770.81 million. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.79 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com raised 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 issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.67.

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.