DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Buys 19,031 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 32.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 77,965 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,031 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $3,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 47,532 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,265,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 21.4% during the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,015 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 40,239 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 24,211 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,490,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 4,505 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NFG opened at $53.19 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $45.32 and a twelve month high of $57.10. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.78. The company has a market capitalization of $4.90 billion, a PE ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 21.58% and a return on equity of 14.81%. The business had revenue of $525.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $664.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. National Fuel Gas’s quarterly revenue was down 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 4.87 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be issued a $0.495 dividend. This represents a $1.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 41.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th.

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.