Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 74,731 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,006,530 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 74,731 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 14.36% of National Fuel Gas worth $789,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,906 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 42.7% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 993 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,894 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.2 %

NFG opened at $78.81 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $73.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.66. The firm has a market cap of $7.14 billion, a PE ratio of -562.85 and a beta of 0.57. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $51.46 and a twelve month high of $79.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on NFG. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Company 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.