Retirement Systems of Alabama Raises Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 236,598 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 353 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $11,870,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 40,239 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,089,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 21,518 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,080,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.7% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,817 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 5.9% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 5,243 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 119.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG stock opened at $52.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $4.88 billion, a PE ratio of 11.10 and a beta of 0.63. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $51.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.84. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $45.32 and a 12 month high of $55.99.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 21.58% and a return on equity of 14.81%. The firm had revenue of $525.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $664.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were paid a $0.495 dividend. This represents a $1.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on NFG shares. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th.

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.