Vise Technologies Inc. Makes New Investment in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 8,531 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $659,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 30.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 159,953 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $12,667,000 after buying an additional 36,913 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $247,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 3.9% during the 1st 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 valued at $17,480,000 after acquiring an additional 8,304 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 79.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 12,729 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 5,638 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the first quarter worth $138,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NFG opened at $82.47 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $80.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.55. The company has a market capitalization of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 3.07. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1-year low of $75.17 and a 1-year high of $97.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $537.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.33 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 26.97% and a return on equity of 19.04%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.555 dividend. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently 30.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on NFG. Weiss Ratings lowered National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.50.

About National Fuel Gas

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.