National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Acquired by EMC Capital Management

EMC Capital Management lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 41.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,957 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 2,915 shares during the quarter. National Fuel Gas makes up approximately 0.3% of EMC Capital Management’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. EMC Capital Management’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $604,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. The trade was a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total value of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $72.15 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.64. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $70.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $63.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.03.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 3.99% and a return on equity of 14.88%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 254.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

About National Fuel Gas

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.