National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Short Interest Down 25.6% in April

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,670,000 shares, a decrease of 25.6% from the March 31st total of 3,590,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 599,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.5 days. Approximately 2.9% of the company's shares are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 567 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 166.4% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 690 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 123.0% in the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 767 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LifeSteps Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NFG. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:NFG traded down $1.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $53.83. 613,408 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 444,202. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a PE ratio of 11.29 and a beta of 0.63. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $51.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.87. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $45.32 and a 12-month high of $56.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 21.58% and a return on equity of 14.81%. The firm had revenue of $525.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $664.57 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were paid a dividend of $0.495 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.51%.

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.