Bank of Montreal Can Has $837,000 Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 19.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,794 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,262 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 223.2% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 656 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NFG opened at $79.01 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $52.66 and a 12 month high of $80.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $75.64 and a 200-day moving average of $67.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $7.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -564.32 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.61%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,471.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.67.

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.