National Fuel Gas Company $NFG Shares Sold by Equity Investment Corp

Equity Investment Corp lowered its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,027,278 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 15,712 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp owned 1.08% of National Fuel Gas worth $82,244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 30.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 159,953 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $12,667,000 after buying an additional 36,913 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the first quarter worth $247,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 3.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 220,730 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $17,480,000 after buying an additional 8,304 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 79.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 12,729 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,008,000 after buying an additional 5,638 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the first quarter worth $138,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NFG stock opened at $76.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $7.31 billion, a PE ratio of 10.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.37. National Fuel Gas Company has a 12-month low of $75.85 and a 12-month high of $97.06. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $84.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.07.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.85 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $858.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $856.57 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 27.48% and a return on equity of 20.62%. National Fuel Gas’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on NFG. Zacks Research raised National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.00.

National Fuel Gas Profile

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.