National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Bought by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 3.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,152 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,313,064 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $715,178,000 after buying an additional 104,587 shares during the period. Energy Income Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.4% during the first quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 2,595,437 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $139,427,000 after purchasing an additional 62,009 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.0% during the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 2,533,482 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $137,289,000 after acquiring an additional 24,800 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 46.5% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,732,969 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $93,910,000 after buying an additional 550,153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 7.9% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,320,850 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $70,956,000 after buying an additional 96,410 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In related news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,496.31. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NFG has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NFG opened at $59.41 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $45.32 and a 1-year high of $61.56. The company has a 50-day moving average of $59.58 and a 200-day moving average of $56.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.77.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $417.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $540.62 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. Equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 5.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.87%.

National Fuel Gas 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.