Phocas Financial Corp. Makes New $7.09 Million Investment in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Phocas Financial Corp. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 88,511 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $7,086,000. Phocas Financial Corp. owned 0.09% of National Fuel Gas at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 103.4% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,138,153 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $197,501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087,067 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 642.7% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 465,830 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $39,460,000 after purchasing an additional 403,107 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 428.8% during the third quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 308,466 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,493,000 after purchasing an additional 250,130 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 99.6% during the third quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 465,254 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,976,000 after purchasing an additional 232,130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 74.9% in the 3rd quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 521,928 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $48,210,000 after purchasing an additional 223,459 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $94.48 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $8.98 billion, a PE ratio of 13.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.52. National Fuel Gas Company has a 12 month low of $69.93 and a 12 month high of $97.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $89.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.26.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.15. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 27.65% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The company had revenue of $651.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $650.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank set a $101.00 target price on National Fuel Gas in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.00.

National Fuel Gas Profile

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.