National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Bought by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 9,300 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 405 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $564,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NFG. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,498,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $151,416,000 after purchasing an additional 765,236 shares during the last quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,943,000. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 243.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 102,672 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,223,000 after buying an additional 72,802 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,386,000 after buying an additional 55,152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 86.3% during the fourth quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 92,881 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,662,000 after acquiring an additional 43,016 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on NFG. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $74.76 on Wednesday. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $49.90 and a 1-year high of $76.26. The company’s 50-day moving average is $68.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -533.98 and a beta of 0.64. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,471.43%.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In related news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

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.