Quent Capital LLC Grows Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Quent Capital LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 139.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,384 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 807 shares during the quarter. Quent Capital LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $75,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.0% during the first quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 21,743 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 53,460 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,873,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Mcintyre Freedman & Flynn Investment Advisers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the first quarter. Mcintyre Freedman & Flynn Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 61,486 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,303,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WNY Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% during the first quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC now owns 33,421 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,795,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 6,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.83, for a total transaction of $348,554.31. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 9,903 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,981.49. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE:NFG traded up $1.17 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $59.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 89,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 551,069. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $59.52. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $56.11 and its 200-day moving average is $53.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market cap of $5.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.49 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.03. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The company had revenue of $417.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $540.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.01 EPS. National Fuel Gas’s quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 28th were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.49%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.87%.

National Fuel Gas Company 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.