Squarepoint Ops LLC Sells 15,694 Shares of National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Squarepoint Ops LLC reduced its position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,336 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 15,694 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.06% of National Fuel Gas worth $4,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 316.7% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 400 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 355.1% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 405 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 60.1% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 613 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter worth approximately $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $82.34 on Tuesday. National Fuel Gas Company has a twelve month low of $59.01 and a twelve month high of $94.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of 14.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $81.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.87.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $466.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $534.57 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 22.86% and a return on equity of 21.76%. National Fuel Gas’s revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.535 dividend. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is presently 37.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on NFG shares. Scotiabank cut National Fuel Gas from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $102.00 to $106.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Zacks Research lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.00.

About National Fuel Gas

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.