Smith Moore & CO. Decreases Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Smith Moore & CO. lowered its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,494 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Smith Moore & CO.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,304,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,906 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 42.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 993 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have 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 report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 7.2 %

NFG stock opened at $73.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.25. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $51.46 and a 12 month high of $80.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of -522.21 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

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.