Bailard Inc. Invests $421,000 in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Bailard Inc. bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 6,937 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $421,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NFG. MQS Management LLC grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.0% during the third quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 8,631 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $523,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,906 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NFG opened at $74.76 on Wednesday. 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 1-year low of $49.90 and a 1-year high of $76.26. The company has a 50-day moving average of $68.18 and a 200-day moving average of $63.40. The company has a market capitalization of $6.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -533.98 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,471.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.