Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Boosts Stock Position in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 190.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 22,691 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,891 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 51.7% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 64,112 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,922,000 after purchasing an additional 21,861 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 74.9% in the 3rd quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 521,928 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $48,210,000 after purchasing an additional 223,459 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 31.4% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 45,118 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,168,000 after buying an additional 10,773 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3,320.0% in the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 14,535 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,343,000 after buying an additional 14,110 shares during the period. Finally, Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,086,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $77.17 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $80.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.63. The company has a market capitalization of $7.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.37. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1 year low of $75.17 and a 1 year high of $97.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by ($0.14). National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 27.48%.The company had revenue of $858.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $856.57 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.39 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on NFG shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. KeyCorp began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.00.

National Fuel Gas Profile

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.