Vise Technologies Inc. Acquires Shares of 8,531 National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 8,531 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $659,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,983,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 84.6% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the first quarter worth approximately $63,863,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 9.1% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 212,091 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $19,928,000 after purchasing an additional 17,713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,101,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.0%

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $82.47 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $80.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.55. The company has a quick ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 3.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. National Fuel Gas Company has a twelve month low of $75.17 and a twelve month high of $97.06. The company has a market capitalization of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.37.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.10. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 26.97% and a return on equity of 19.04%. The company had revenue of $537.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.33 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.64 EPS. National Fuel Gas’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NFG. Weiss Ratings cut National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.50.

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.