Nuveen Asset Management LLC Sells 16,755 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 144,708 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 16,755 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.16% of National Fuel Gas worth $8,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,288 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $442,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 20,291 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 13,765 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $842,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $81.85 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $78.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $71.24. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $53.03 and a 12-month high of $83.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -584.61 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.21. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. The firm had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $770.81 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued 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 yield of 2.52%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 479.07%.

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.