Wells Fargo & Company MN Sells 5,524 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Wells Fargo & Company MN cut its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 256,872 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 5,524 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $15,587,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $77.57 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $51.46 and a 12 month high of $80.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $75.11 and a 200 day moving average of $67.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.02 billion, a PE ratio of -554.03 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its 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 firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

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.