Alaska Permanent Fund Corp Grows Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,520 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 790 shares during the quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $2,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 166.4% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 690 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at $95,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth $164,000. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 28.9% during the 3rd quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 3,436 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $178,000 after acquiring an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NFG shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE NFG traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $54.47. 84,345 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 571,963. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $51.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $5.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.63. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $56.67.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.81% and a net margin of 21.58%. The business had revenue of $525.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $664.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were paid a dividend of $0.495 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.51%.

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.