Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Acquires New Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,363 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $264,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,313,064 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $715,178,000 after acquiring an additional 104,587 shares during the last quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 2,595,437 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $139,427,000 after acquiring an additional 62,009 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 2,533,482 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $137,289,000 after acquiring an additional 24,800 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 46.5% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,732,969 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $93,910,000 after purchasing an additional 550,153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,320,850 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $70,956,000 after purchasing an additional 96,410 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

In related news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value 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 trade 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 the SEC website. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NFG stock opened at $61.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.76 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. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.50.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $417.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $540.62 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The company’s revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.01 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 5.08 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently 59.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, October 19th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th.

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.