Inspire Investing LLC Buys 318 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Inspire Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,692 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Beacon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the second quarter worth $37,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $60.57 on Tuesday. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $45.32 and a 52 week high of $61.56. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $59.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.87. The company has a market capitalization of $5.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.03. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The firm had revenue of $417.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $540.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.01 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 5.05 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction of $103,309.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,496.31. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

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.