Hartford Financial Management Inc. Has $533,000 Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Hartford Financial Management Inc. cut its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 67.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,798 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 18,106 shares during the period. Hartford Financial Management Inc.'s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NFG. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 22,612 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,215,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 237,289 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $12,747,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at $905,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 478.8% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 86,567 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $4,650,000 after purchasing an additional 71,612 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 104,134 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $5,574,000 after purchasing an additional 820 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE NFG traded down $1.06 on Friday, reaching $59.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 351,805 shares, compared to its average volume of 521,170. The firm has a market cap of $5.43 billion, a PE ratio of 17.24 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $45.32 and a 52 week high of $63.54. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $60.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.64.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.03. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The company had revenue of $417.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $540.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.01 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 5.08 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is 59.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other National Fuel Gas news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $498,496.31. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, October 19th.

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.