Wealthfront Advisers LLC Invests $259,000 in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 4,275 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $259,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NFG. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,067,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $156,807,000 after purchasing an additional 85,950 shares during the period. Ibex Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,943,000. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 243.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 102,672 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,223,000 after purchasing an additional 72,802 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 33.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $13,386,000 after purchasing an additional 55,152 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $77.06 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. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $51.14 and a twelve month high of $77.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $70.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.51. The firm has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a P/E ratio of -550.42 and a beta of 0.57.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,471.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.67.

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.