Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Purchases 7,924 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 116,683 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 7,924 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned about 0.13% of National Fuel Gas worth $7,080,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth $1,277,000. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 51,333 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $3,111,000 after purchasing an additional 6,435 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 79,619 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $4,826,000 after purchasing an additional 3,559 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 53.9% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,451 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 7,510 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.67.

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National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.1 %

NFG traded up $0.12 on Monday, hitting $78.29. 567,918 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 511,141. The stock's fifty day moving average is $72.27 and its 200-day moving average is $65.03. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $51.46 and a 12 month high of $79.35. 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 has a market cap of $7.09 billion, a PE ratio of -559.14 and a beta of 0.57.

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

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -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.