JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 1,523,627 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 76.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 462,294 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 1,523,627 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.51% of National Fuel Gas worth $28,052,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth 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 purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG stock traded up $2.47 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $76.41. The company had a trading volume of 796,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 548,456. The firm has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a PE ratio of -545.72 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $75.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.97. National Fuel Gas has a one year low of $51.46 and a one year high of $80.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

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.