First Trust Advisors LP Sells 130,868 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 9.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,189,400 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 130,868 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 1.31% of National Fuel Gas worth $72,173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 223.2% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 656 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG stock opened at $77.39 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $75.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.71. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $52.66 and a 12 month 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -552.75 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company posted $1.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -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.

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