National Fuel Gas Company (NFG) To Go Ex-Dividend on December 31st

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.535 per share by the oil and gas producer on Thursday, January 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st.

National Fuel Gas has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 55 consecutive years. National Fuel Gas has a payout ratio of 25.3% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect National Fuel Gas to earn $7.79 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.14 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 27.5%.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $81.46 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.35. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $60.03 and a 12 month high of $94.13. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $81.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.82.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $466.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $534.57 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 22.86% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 103.4% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,138,153 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $197,501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087,067 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 2nd quarter valued at $91,964,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 642.7% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,050,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 428.8% in the 3rd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 308,466 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,493,000 after acquiring an additional 250,130 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

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.