Mariner LLC Raises Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Mariner LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,291 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. Mariner LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NFG. Cohen & Steers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $1,550,000. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 8,736 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $530,000 after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 10,914 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $662,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866 shares during the last quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $1,152,000. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $236,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $77.88 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $52.66 and a fifty-two week high of $80.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $76.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.16. The stock has a market cap of $7.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -556.25 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFG has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas 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.