Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Buys 6,084 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 132,493 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 6,084 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.15% of National Fuel Gas worth $8,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NFG. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 12.6% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at about $238,000. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth about $957,000. Vestcor Inc acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at approximately $716,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 76.1% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,790 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,927,000 after purchasing an additional 13,739 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of 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 upgraded 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 issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.67.

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National Fuel Gas Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE NFG traded down $1.51 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $78.45. 219,432 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 532,721. The business has a 50 day moving average of $74.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -560.32 and a beta of 0.57. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $51.46 and a 1 year high of $80.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

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 (EPS) 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 quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio 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.