National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Sold by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. decreased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 12.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,002 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 976 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NFG. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 298,410 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $14,971,000 after acquiring an additional 34,156 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,674,000. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 20,262 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 1,355 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at $1,884,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth about $1,294,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NFG stock opened at $52.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $4.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.90 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.78. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $45.32 and a twelve month high of $56.67.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.81% and a net margin of 21.58%. The firm had revenue of $525.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $664.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 4.87 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were paid a dividend of $0.495 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.81%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank raised their target price on National Fuel Gas from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th.

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.