Hennessy Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 10.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 81,256 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 7,832 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. owned about 0.09% of National Fuel Gas worth $6,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NFG. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 458.0% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 279 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $82.97 on Friday. National Fuel Gas Company has a fifty-two week low of $75.17 and a fifty-two week high of $97.06. The business’s fifty day moving average is $80.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.49. The company has a quick ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 3.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $7.89 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.37.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $537.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.33 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 26.97%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

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

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.