Sei Investments Co. Sells 30,606 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Sei Investments Co. lessened its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 16.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 160,390 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 30,606 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.17% of National Fuel Gas worth $8,692,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter worth $1,748,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 263,689 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $13,229,000 after acquiring an additional 20,203 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,242,186 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $66,730,000 after acquiring an additional 269,441 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 478.8% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 86,567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,650,000 after acquiring an additional 71,612 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 130,375 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $7,004,000 after purchasing an additional 14,604 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In related news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,496.31. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 research note on Thursday, September 12th.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG stock opened at $60.61 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.21. National Fuel Gas has a one year low of $45.32 and a one year high of $61.56. The firm has a market cap of $5.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03 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 (NYSE:NFG) last posted its earnings results 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. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The business had revenue of $417.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $540.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 5.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.87%.

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.