National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Sold by Treasurer of the State of North Carolina

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina reduced its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 60.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 40,055 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 62,213 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $2,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NFG. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 243.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 102,672 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $6,223,000 after buying an additional 72,802 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,246 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 1,817 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at about $1,052,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 176.2% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,046 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 13,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 33.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $13,386,000 after purchasing an additional 55,152 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $79.01 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $75.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.37. 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 has a 1 year low of $51.81 and a 1 year high of $80.14. The company has a market capitalization of $7.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -564.32 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,471.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of 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 cut National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.67.

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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