Heartland Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Heartland Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 144,722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,173 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned about 0.16% of National Fuel Gas worth $8,782,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $156,807,000 after buying an additional 85,950 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,393,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,918 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $55,817,000 after buying an additional 7,830 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 33.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares during the period. Finally, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 214,098 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $12,991,000 after acquiring an additional 1,667 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $78.62 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $73.30 and its 200-day moving average is $65.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -561.51 and a beta of 0.57. National Fuel Gas has a one year low of $51.46 and a one year high of $79.49. 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 (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 prior year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NFG has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.67.

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.