Baird Financial Group Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Baird Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 24.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,033 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 22,849 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $4,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 14.3% during 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 buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th 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 boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 49.5% during the 4th 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 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 purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its position in 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 worth $842,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on NFG. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE NFG opened at $81.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $53.03 and a 52 week high of $83.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -584.96 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a fifty day moving average of $77.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.42.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.21. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. The firm had revenue of $729.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $770.81 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.79 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 479.07%.

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.