Barclays PLC Sells 12,154 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Barclays PLC lessened its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 90,518 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 12,154 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.10% of National Fuel Gas worth $5,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,906 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 42.7% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 993 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on NFG shares. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $78.18. The company had a trading volume of 746,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 550,972. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $52.66 and a fifty-two week high of $80.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -558.39 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.34.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share 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 last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

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

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.