V Square Quantitative Management LLC Acquires 239 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 49.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $44,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE NFG opened at $72.17 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -515.47 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $65.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.34. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $46.91 and a twelve month high of $73.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

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 in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently -1,471.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NFG. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 sale, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

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.