Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 7,369 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Alliancebernstein L.P. lowered its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 134,513 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 7,369 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.15% of National Fuel Gas worth $8,162,000 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 NFG. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 49.5% in the fourth 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. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 note on Thursday, March 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.8 %

NFG stock traded up $0.62 during trading on Thursday, reaching $79.35. The company had a trading volume of 154,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 547,753. The business has a 50 day moving average of $75.37 and a 200 day moving average of $67.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -567.15 and a beta of 0.61. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $51.68 and a 52 week high of $83.04.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is -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.