Voya Investment Management LLC Sells 9,393 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Voya Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 229,085 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 9,393 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.25% of National Fuel Gas worth $13,901,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. MGO One Seven LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 7,534 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $457,000 after purchasing an additional 1,876 shares during the last quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 179.2% during the 4th quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 62,823 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $3,812,000 after buying an additional 40,320 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $228,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 54.5% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 26,314 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,595,000 after buying an additional 9,281 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 152,887 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $9,277,000 after acquiring an additional 9,598 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 4.1 %

Shares of NYSE:NFG traded up $3.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $82.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,093,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 557,211. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. National Fuel Gas has a one year low of $53.03 and a one year high of $82.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $76.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.79. 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 quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $770.81 million. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.79 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.67.

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.