SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. Buys Shares of 21,270 National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 21,270 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,720,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NFG. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 103.4% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,138,153 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $197,501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087,067 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 642.7% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 465,830 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $39,460,000 after purchasing an additional 403,107 shares in the last quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth about $22,739,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 428.8% in the third quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 308,466 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $28,493,000 after purchasing an additional 250,130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 99.6% in the third quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 465,254 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $42,976,000 after purchasing an additional 232,130 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $78.07 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $87.76 and its 200 day moving average is $85.30. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1 year low of $77.22 and a 1 year high of $97.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.85 by ($0.14). National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 27.48% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The business had revenue of $858.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $856.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $0.535 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.00.

National Fuel Gas Profile

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.