National Fuel Gas Company $NFG Shares Sold by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC reduced its position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 56.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,827 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 16,510 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth $7,086,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 84.6% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 61,728 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,942,000 after purchasing an additional 28,293 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter worth $63,863,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 315,753 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $25,911,000 after purchasing an additional 24,988 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 294.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 13,976 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 10,437 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NFG opened at $81.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.55. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1-year low of $75.17 and a 1-year high of $97.06. The stock has a market cap of $7.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.48.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted 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). The company had revenue of $858.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $856.57 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 27.48% and a return on equity of 20.62%. National Fuel Gas’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is presently 30.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. KeyCorp began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Company 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.