Proficio Capital Partners LLC Invests $862,000 in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 14,199 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $862,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wealthspire Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 11,826 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $718,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 13,240 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $803,000 after acquiring an additional 3,539 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,086,000. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $367,000. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 93,429 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,717,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE NFG opened at $74.12 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of -529.40 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $69.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.80. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $50.44 and a 12-month high of $76.26.

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 (EPS) 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 firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on NFG shares. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

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.