Equitable Holdings Inc. Invests $857,000 in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Equitable Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 11,093 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $857,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 458.0% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 279 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE NFG opened at $82.97 on Friday. National Fuel Gas Company has a one year low of $75.17 and a one year high of $97.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 3.07 and a current ratio of 3.20. The company has a market capitalization of $7.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $84.49.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $537.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.33 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings lowered National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.