National Fuel Gas Company $NFG Shares Sold by NewEdge Advisors LLC

NewEdge Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 64.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 15,671 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 28,181 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,473,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 653.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,582,782 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $126,718,000 after purchasing an additional 1,372,742 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $92,415,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 103.4% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,138,153 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $197,501,000 after buying an additional 1,087,067 shares during the period. Yaupon Capital Management LP increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 521.0% during the fourth quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP now owns 1,105,979 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $88,545,000 after buying an additional 927,873 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at approximately $63,863,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $81.91 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 3.07 and a current ratio of 3.20. National Fuel Gas Company has a fifty-two week low of $75.17 and a fifty-two week high of $97.06. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.56. The company has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.37.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $537.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.33 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 26.97%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.64 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NFG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. One investment 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.