Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Buys 19,111 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 40.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 66,301 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,111 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $4,023,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 worth $156,807,000 after purchasing an additional 85,950 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth about $67,393,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 214,098 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $12,991,000 after purchasing an additional 1,667 shares during the period. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. now owns 159,753 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $9,694,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.4 %

NFG stock opened at $72.97 on Wednesday. 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 one year low of $51.46 and a one year high of $80.14. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $74.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.55. The company has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a PE ratio of -521.18 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.82%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,471.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.