Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Purchases Shares of 28,926 National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 28,926 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,755,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at about $957,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at about $1,277,000. Vestcor Inc bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at about $716,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 76.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,790 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,927,000 after acquiring an additional 13,739 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the sale, the insider now owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NFG opened at $71.90 on Tuesday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $73.13. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.34. The company has a market capitalization of $6.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -513.53 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

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.