MetLife Investment Management LLC Acquires 4,281 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 9.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,493 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 4,281 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $3,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 243.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 102,672 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,223,000 after acquiring an additional 72,802 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at about $1,052,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 176.2% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,046 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,276,000 after buying an additional 13,425 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,386,000 after buying an additional 55,152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 42.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 993 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NFG shares. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.1 %

NFG stock opened at $77.88 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -556.25 and a beta of 0.61. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $52.66 and a twelve month high of $80.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $76.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

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

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.