DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Increases Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 32.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 77,965 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 19,031 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned 0.08% of National Fuel Gas worth $3,824,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 8,630.9% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 336,139 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $16,864,000 after buying an additional 332,289 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,399 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 166.4% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 690 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 309 shares during the period. Finally, Courier Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 12,956 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $650,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock traded down $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $53.20. 551,925 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 463,255. The firm has a market cap of $4.90 billion, a PE ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.77. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $45.32 and a 12 month high of $57.10.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $525.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $664.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. National Fuel Gas's revenue was down 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.495 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.72%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Scotiabank increased their target price on National Fuel Gas from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday.

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.