AXQ Capital LP Sells 891 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

AXQ Capital LP lowered its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,894 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 891 shares during the period. AXQ Capital LP’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $540,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at $238,000. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at about $957,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth about $1,277,000. Finally, Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth about $716,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 1.0 %

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $78.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a PE ratio of -558.41 and a beta of 0.57. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $51.46 and a fifty-two week high of $79.35. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $72.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.00.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. Research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

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.