Equity Investment Corp Sells 11,421 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Equity Investment Corp reduced its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFGFree Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,233,990 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 11,421 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $74,879,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 37.5% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 97,691 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,921,000 after buying an additional 26,655 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 25,630 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,553,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 11.2% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,895 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at about $1,341,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total value of $1,216,257.64. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on National Fuel Gas

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NFG opened at $73.73 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.68 billion, a P/E ratio of -526.61 and a beta of 0.64. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $48.19 and a fifty-two week high of $74.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $67.29 and a 200 day moving average of $63.03.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFGGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.79%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is presently -1,471.43%.

National Fuel Gas Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

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