Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 84,873 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 81.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,519 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 84,873 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,183,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 164,526 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $9,983,000 after purchasing an additional 40,997 shares during the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth about $622,000. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $430,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 10,378 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $630,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the period. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 42.8% during the fourth quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,051 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $489,000 after acquiring an additional 2,415 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.1%

NFG stock opened at $81.28 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.33. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $53.03 and a 52 week high of $83.35. The company has a market capitalization of $7.34 billion, a PE ratio of -580.53 and a beta of 0.61.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $770.81 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.79 earnings per share. National Fuel Gas’s revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is 479.07%.

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.