Legal & General Group Plc Has $11.29 Million Stake in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 15.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 141,066 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 25,236 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.15% of National Fuel Gas worth $11,294,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NFG. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 103.4% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,138,153 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $197,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087,067 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 642.7% during 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 during the period. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $22,739,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 428.8% during 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 during the period. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 99.6% during 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 during the period. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NFG. KeyCorp began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold 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 $106.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE NFG opened at $77.57 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.50, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $86.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $85.22. National Fuel Gas Company has a 12 month low of $75.85 and a 12 month high of $97.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $856.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.535 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.96%.

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.