Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Has $8.04 Million Stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD reduced its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 132,539 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 3,747 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned about 0.15% of National Fuel Gas worth $8,043,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 223.2% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 656 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $44,000 after buying an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.3 %

NFG stock traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $82.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 652,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 558,926. 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 stock has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of -586.74 and a beta of 0.61. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $77.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.06. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $53.03 and a 52 week high of $82.70.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 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 firm had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $770.81 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.79 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is 479.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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 upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.67.

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.