National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Sold by C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd.

C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. cut its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 20.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,666 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 680 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $154,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 20.7% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,298,076 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $504,599,000 after acquiring an additional 1,252,192 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 8.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,771,775 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $724,553,000 after buying an additional 892,065 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth $53,631,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 239.3% during the first quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 726,574 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $41,953,000 after buying an additional 512,407 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 53.8% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 843,653 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $53,403,000 after buying an additional 295,007 shares during the last quarter. 73.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NFG traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $53.35. The stock had a trading volume of 13,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 561,891. The firm has a market cap of $4.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.75, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $48.89 and a fifty-two week high of $73.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.31 and a 200-day moving average of $53.94.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $428.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $480.10 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 19.71% and a net margin of 25.06%. Equities research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 5.31 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.495 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on NFG. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on National Fuel Gas from $60.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Argus reduced their target price on National Fuel Gas from $76.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, August 25th.

About National Fuel Gas

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 in California and in the Appalachian region of the United States.