Focused Alpha LLC Invests $615,000 in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Focused Alpha LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 7,968 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $615,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 2,680 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Optas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.3% in the first quarter. Optas LLC now owns 3,238 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.3% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 3,465 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 16,732 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,546,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE NFG opened at $81.71 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 3.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.55. National Fuel Gas Company has a 52-week low of $75.17 and a 52-week high of $97.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $537.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.33 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 26.97% and a return on equity of 19.04%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.64 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NFG shares. Weiss Ratings lowered National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas 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.