Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,578 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $2,086,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 2.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,190,115 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $684,699,000 after buying an additional 311,599 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 8,679,965 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $501,181,000 after acquiring an additional 139,734 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,980,876 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $413,781,000 after purchasing an additional 321,988 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,868,815 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $200,830,000 after purchasing an additional 641,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 2,456,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $127,491,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NFG opened at $53.72 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $50.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.56. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $45.32 and a 1 year high of $58.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.95 billion, a PE ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 0.63.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 21.58% and a return on equity of 14.81%. The company had revenue of $525.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $664.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be given a $0.495 dividend. This represents a $1.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th.

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.