Xponance Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Xponance Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,352 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NFG. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth $46,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $78.44 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -560.25 and a beta of 0.57. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $51.46 and a 12-month high of $79.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

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.