Graham Capital Management L.P. Acquires Shares of 10,251 National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 10,251 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $622,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. S.A. Mason LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 223.2% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 656 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.3%

NFG opened at $79.45 on Thursday. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $53.03 and a 12-month high of $83.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a PE ratio of -567.46 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $77.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.78.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.21. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. The business had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $770.81 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.79 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 479.07%.

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.