XTX Topco Ltd Purchases New Stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 10,702 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $618,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 47,532 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,265,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 22.9% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 29,127 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,001,000 after acquiring an additional 5,424 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 12.3% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 15,176 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after acquiring an additional 1,658 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 10.9% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 33,513 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,302,000 after purchasing an additional 3,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 54,988 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $3,885,000 after purchasing an additional 7,259 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.70% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NFG stock opened at $51.86 on Monday. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $48.89 and a 1 year high of $72.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $52.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a PE ratio of 8.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.67.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.11. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 19.71% and a net margin of 25.06%. The company had revenue of $428.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $480.10 million. As a group, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 5.31 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.495 per share. This represents a $1.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is presently 32.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $60.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, August 25th. Finally, Argus reduced their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $76.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th.

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 in California and in the Appalachian region of the United States.