KBC Group NV Sells 1,637 Shares of National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

KBC Group NV trimmed its position in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 41.9% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,271 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,637 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $192,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ibex Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 85,379 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $7,232,000 after purchasing an additional 3,194 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter worth $458,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 126.3% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,627 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 2,582 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Financial Services acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the second quarter valued at about $252,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 70.7% in the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 312,252 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $26,451,000 after acquiring an additional 129,324 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $81.36 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $84.98 and its 200-day moving average is $84.86. The stock has a market cap of $7.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.57. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1-year low of $59.01 and a 1-year high of $94.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 11.15% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The business had revenue of $456.41 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $534.57 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were issued a $0.535 dividend. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on NFG. Zacks Research cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Scotiabank cut shares of National Fuel Gas from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $102.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.00.

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. 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.