Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys New Shares in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 149,419 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $9,067,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.17% of National Fuel Gas at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NFG. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $156,807,000 after buying an additional 85,950 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,918 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $55,817,000 after acquiring an additional 7,830 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares during the last quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. now owns 159,753 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $9,694,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 7.5% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 143,289 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $8,685,000 after purchasing an additional 10,038 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE NFG traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $78.44. 556,522 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 511,071. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company's fifty day moving average is $72.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.17. The stock has a market cap of $7.10 billion, a PE ratio of -560.25 and a beta of 0.57. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $51.46 and a fifty-two week high of $79.35.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,471.43%.

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.