National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Position Boosted by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 44.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 10,055 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,083 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $610,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $156,807,000 after purchasing an additional 85,950 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,918 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $55,817,000 after buying an additional 7,830 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $13,386,000 after buying an additional 55,152 shares during the period. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. now owns 159,753 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $9,694,000 after buying an additional 792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,067,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given 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, National Fuel Gas has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE NFG opened at $78.62 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $51.46 and a 12 month high of $79.49. The company has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -561.51 and a beta of 0.57. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.49. 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 (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

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.