Ibex Wealth Advisors Boosts Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Ibex Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,185 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 722 shares during the quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors’ holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $6,508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,393,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 37.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,019,072 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $61,837,000 after purchasing an additional 279,857 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $16,906,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,067,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 13,154.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 131,614 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $10,423,000 after buying an additional 130,621 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $82.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a PE ratio of -587.17 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $53.03 and a 12-month high of $84.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

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

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on NFG shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $82.33.

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.