Prudential Financial Inc. Reduces Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Prudential Financial Inc. reduced its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 21.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 99,778 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 27,735 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned about 0.11% of National Fuel Gas worth $6,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in 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 in the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 49.5% in the fourth 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. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $78.81 on Monday. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $51.46 and a 52 week high of $79.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $73.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -562.85 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (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 last year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,471.43%.

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.