Pacer Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 38.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,757 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,484 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,955 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $750,000 after acquiring an additional 3,515 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 263,689 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,229,000 after purchasing an additional 20,203 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 151,369 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $7,594,000 after purchasing an additional 10,004 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 61.8% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 2,370 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 40,654 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,040,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,496.31. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NFG shares. Scotiabank increased their price target on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 12th.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG stock opened at $60.60 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $59.22 and its 200 day moving average is $56.18. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $45.32 and a 12 month high of $61.56.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $417.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $540.62 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. National Fuel Gas’s revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.01 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 5.04 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 40.87%.

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.