Raymond James Financial Inc. Invests $9.07 Million in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 149,419 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $9,067,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atria Investments Inc purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth $219,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth $1,277,000. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 14.3% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 51,333 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $3,111,000 after purchasing an additional 6,435 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.7% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 79,619 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,826,000 after purchasing an additional 3,559 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 53.9% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,451 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 7,510 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 1.0 %

NFG opened at $78.18 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $51.46 and a fifty-two week high of $79.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $72.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -558.41 and a beta of 0.57.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released 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 period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.63%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

About National Fuel Gas

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.