VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Makes New Investment in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 330,120 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $25,489,000.

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

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $83.29 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.57, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 3.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.555 dividend. This is a positive change 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 yield of 2.7%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is 30.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.50.

About National Fuel Gas

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.