National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Acquired by Vident Advisory LLC

Vident Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 18.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 62,860 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 9,615 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $3,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 166.4% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 690 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 123.0% in the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 767 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the period. Finally, LifeSteps Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at about $46,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 6,357 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 9,903 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,981.49. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Scotiabank upped their target price on National Fuel Gas from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

National Fuel Gas stock traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $57.74. 266,175 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 546,663. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $45.32 and a twelve month high of $58.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $55.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $52.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a PE ratio of 11.39 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $629.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $767.33 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 28th were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.57%. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 28th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is 40.87%.

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.