Swiss National Bank Purchases 9,300 Shares of National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 5.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 178,600 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,300 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $16,781,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legacy Bridge LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC now owns 17,927 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,435,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 2,680 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Optas LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 5.3% during the first quarter. Optas LLC now owns 3,238 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $304,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 12,050 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $965,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 7.5% in the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,434 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.4%

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $82.43 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.15, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $78.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.44. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1-year low of $75.17 and a 1-year high of $97.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by ($0.14). National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 27.48%.The firm had revenue of $858.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $856.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently 30.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on NFG. Weiss Ratings downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. KeyCorp started coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.