Heartland Advisors Inc. Sells 1,173 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Heartland Advisors Inc. cut its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 144,722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,173 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $8,782,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $156,807,000 after purchasing an additional 85,950 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth $67,393,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,918 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $55,817,000 after acquiring an additional 7,830 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 214,098 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $12,991,000 after acquiring an additional 1,667 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $78.62 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $73.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.49. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $51.46 and a twelve month high of $79.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a PE ratio of -561.51 and a beta of 0.57.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) 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 the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. Analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on NFG. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.