Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Purchases 70,332 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,447,665 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 70,332 shares during the period. National Fuel Gas makes up 0.9% of Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $87,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 15.3% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 24,408 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,487,000 after buying an additional 3,244 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.2% in the third quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 11,343 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $688,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 5.8% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 54,734 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $3,317,000 after acquiring an additional 2,989 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 243.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 102,672 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,223,000 after purchasing an additional 72,802 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,246 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 1,817 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NFG opened at $77.57 on Tuesday. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $51.46 and a 1 year high of $80.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $75.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.08. The stock has a market cap of $7.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -554.03 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,471.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

National Fuel Gas Company operates as a diversified energy company. It operates through four segments: Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, and Utility. The Exploration and Production segment explores for, develops, and produces natural gas and oil. The Pipeline and Storage segment provides interstate natural gas transportation services through an integrated gas pipeline system in Pennsylvania and New York; and owns and operates underground natural gas storage fields.