Focused Alpha LLC Acquires Shares of 7,968 National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Focused Alpha LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 7,968 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $615,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 458.0% during the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 279 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on NFG shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE NFG opened at $81.71 on Tuesday. National Fuel Gas Company has a 12 month low of $75.17 and a 12 month high of $97.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 3.07. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $79.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a PE ratio of 11.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.37.

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

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 30.83%.

National Fuel Gas Company 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.