National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Sold by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,026 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 314 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $2,615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at $67,393,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,019,072 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $61,837,000 after acquiring an additional 279,857 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $16,906,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $9,067,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 13,154.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 131,614 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $10,423,000 after purchasing an additional 130,621 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $84.11 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $53.03 and a fifty-two week high of $84.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $80.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -600.74 and a beta of 0.62.

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

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.535 per share. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 479.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

National Fuel Gas Company 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.