US Bancorp DE Buys 631 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

US Bancorp DE raised its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,630 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 631 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,553,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Equity Investment Corp lifted its stake 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 worth $66,730,000 after acquiring an additional 269,441 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 478.8% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 86,567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,650,000 after purchasing an additional 71,612 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 14,604 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,313,064 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $715,178,000 after buying an additional 104,587 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 20.2% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 190,996 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $10,260,000 after buying an additional 32,121 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NFG stock opened at $58.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company’s 50-day moving average is $60.60 and its 200-day moving average is $57.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.08 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $45.32 and a 1 year high of $63.54.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.06). National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 16.42%. The firm had revenue of $372.07 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $482.49 million. Equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 5.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.71%.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,496.31. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NFG. 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 report on Tuesday, August 20th. StockNews.com lowered National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock.

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.