Ballentine Partners LLC Buys Shares of 4,396 National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Ballentine Partners LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,396 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,804,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,868,815 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $200,830,000 after purchasing an additional 641,010 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 8,630.9% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 336,139 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $16,864,000 after acquiring an additional 332,289 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,190,115 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $684,699,000 after acquiring an additional 311,599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 1,042,509 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $52,302,000 after acquiring an additional 193,910 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NFG shares. Scotiabank boosted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NFG opened at $54.94 on Thursday. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $45.32 and a 1-year high of $57.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $55.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.05 billion, a PE ratio of 10.90 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.38. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 15.06% and a net margin of 23.84%. The firm had revenue of $629.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.33 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 5.07 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 6,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.83, for a total transaction of $348,554.31. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 9,903 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,981.49. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.