Bleakley Financial Group LLC Boosts Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 2.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 63,227 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,669 shares during the quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $3,832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quadrature Capital Ltd boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 16,265 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $816,000 after acquiring an additional 5,352 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 21.5% during the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 2,606 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter worth $236,000. Kwmg LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 4.4% in the first quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 96,130 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,164,000 after purchasing an additional 4,046 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 18.8% during the first quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 89,540 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,853,000 after buying an additional 14,165 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NFG. Scotiabank upped their target price 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. decreased their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, StockNews.com cut National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $63.03 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.65. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $45.32 and a 1 year high of $63.04. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $59.96 and its 200 day moving average is $57.07.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted 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. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The firm had revenue of $417.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $540.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.01 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 5.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders 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 3.27%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 40.87%.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In related news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,496.31. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company’s 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.