National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Bought by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 58.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,299 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 1,214 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $200,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. The trade was a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on NFG. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America assumed coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $72.41 on Wednesday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $73.13. The business’s fifty day moving average is $63.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of -517.16 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share 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 in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.32%.

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.