Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 7,527 Shares of National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lowered its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 296,285 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 7,527 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.31% of National Fuel Gas worth $23,721,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 88.5% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 360 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 105.3% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 423 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 3,883.3% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 478 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NFG has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Scotiabank set a $101.00 price target on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE NFG opened at $89.53 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1-year low of $75.73 and a 1-year high of $97.06. The company has a 50 day moving average of $91.34 and a 200-day moving average of $85.48. The company has a market cap of $8.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.52.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $651.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $650.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is presently 29.85%.

About National Fuel Gas

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.