Legal & General Group Plc Sells 15,833 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 8.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 166,631 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 15,833 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.18% of National Fuel Gas worth $10,111,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 13,794 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $837,000 after purchasing an additional 2,262 shares during the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $228,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 223.2% in the 4th 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. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 130,161 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $7,898,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huber Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $3,428,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $78.19. 63,728 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 679,489. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -558.46 and a beta of 0.61. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $52.66 and a 52 week high of $80.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.78.

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, 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 in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 2.63%. National Fuel Gas's dividend 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.