Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,779 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 22,502 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $10,630,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 42,962 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,440,000 after purchasing an additional 19,469 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co bought a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $184,000. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 62,971 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,041,000 after purchasing an additional 1,536 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 8,676 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 74.5% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 738 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE NFG opened at $79.82 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $88.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.31. National Fuel Gas Company has a twelve month low of $77.22 and a twelve month high of $97.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.80, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.41.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by ($0.14). National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 27.48% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The firm had revenue of $858.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $856.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.39 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.535 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NFG shares. KeyCorp started coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research raised National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.00.

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.