Amalgamated Bank Sells 2,014 Shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG)

Amalgamated Bank cut its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 4.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,494 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 2,014 shares during the quarter. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $3,286,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NFG. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Donald L. Hagan LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.2% during the first quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 15,598 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,235,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,288 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $442,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 20,291 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 13,765 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $842,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on NFG shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NFG opened at $84.21 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $82.45 and its 200 day moving average is $75.28. National Fuel Gas Company has a fifty-two week low of $54.05 and a fifty-two week high of $86.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.61 billion, a PE ratio of 195.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $770.81 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 18.55% and a net margin of 1.91%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 497.67%.

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.