HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Makes New $1.76 Million Investment in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 22,282 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,758,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 458.0% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 279 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.0%

NFG stock opened at $81.91 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $79.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 11.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.37. National Fuel Gas Company has a 12 month low of $75.17 and a 12 month high of $97.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 3.07.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.10. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 26.97% and a return on equity of 19.04%. The business had revenue of $537.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.33 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.83%.

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.