Renaissance Technologies LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Renaissance Technologies LLC cut its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 199,900 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 18,800 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.22% of National Fuel Gas worth $10,833,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.0% in the first quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 21,743 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 6.2% during the second quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,182 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 53,460 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $2,873,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Mcintyre Freedman & Flynn Investment Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the first quarter. Mcintyre Freedman & Flynn Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 61,486 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $3,303,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WNY Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC now owns 33,421 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,795,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $61.23 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $59.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.00. The company has a market capitalization of $5.63 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $45.32 and a 1-year high of $61.42.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $417.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $540.62 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 16.42%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.01 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 5.13 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, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is currently 40.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, StockNews.com cut National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 5th.

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.