Community Bank N.A. Raises Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Community Bank N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 245.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,900 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,900 shares during the quarter. Community Bank N.A.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $346,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 166.4% in 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 third quarter worth $95,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth $164,000. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 28.9% in the third quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 3,436 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $178,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE:NFG traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $54.78. 291,839 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 574,675. The firm has a market cap of $5.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.42 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. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $50.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $664.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were issued a $0.495 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. 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.