Cullen Investment Group LTD. Has $1.82 Million Stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Cullen Investment Group LTD. grew its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 30,021 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 202 shares during the quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NFG. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,748,000. Equity Investment Corp raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 27.7% in the first quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,242,186 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $66,730,000 after purchasing an additional 269,441 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 478.8% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 86,567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,650,000 after purchasing an additional 71,612 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 130,375 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $7,004,000 after purchasing an additional 14,604 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,224,440 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $61,430,000 after purchasing an additional 22,088 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock traded up $0.30 during trading on Friday, hitting $61.11. 538,361 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 535,637. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $59.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.13 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $45.32 and a 1-year high of $61.56.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.03. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 16.42%. The company had revenue of $417.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $540.62 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.01 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 5.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.87%.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 8,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,496.31. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.