Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Buys 30,003 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 227.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 43,197 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,003 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $2,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 20,291 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 13,765 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $842,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $82.15 on Wednesday. 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 has a twelve month low of $53.03 and a twelve month high of $82.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -586.74 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a 50 day moving average of $77.10 and a 200-day moving average of $69.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $770.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is presently 479.07%.

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.