National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Sold by Vestcor Inc

Vestcor Inc lowered its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,739 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,068 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $238,000. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth approximately $957,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth approximately $1,277,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 76.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,790 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,927,000 after acquiring an additional 13,739 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment 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.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $76.49 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $70.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.39. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $51.14 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -546.32 and a beta of 0.57.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 period last year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently -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.