27,600 Shares in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG Acquired by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 27,600 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,593,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 30.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 159,953 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $12,667,000 after purchasing an additional 36,913 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the first quarter valued at about $247,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 3.9% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 220,730 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $17,480,000 after purchasing an additional 8,304 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 79.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 12,729 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 5,638 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at about $138,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $78.24 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.69. National Fuel Gas Company has a fifty-two week low of $75.17 and a fifty-two week high of $97.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 27.48%.The firm had revenue of $858.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $856.57 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. National Fuel Gas’s revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 28.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. 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 research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.00.

About National Fuel Gas

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.