National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Sold by Meeder Asset Management Inc.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. cut its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 35,947 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 3,627 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $2,181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth about $238,000. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth about $957,000. Vestcor Inc purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at about $716,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 76.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,790 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,927,000 after acquiring an additional 13,739 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $78.81 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $73.51 and a 200 day moving average of $65.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -562.85 and a beta of 0.57. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $51.46 and a fifty-two week high of $79.49.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders 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 2.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,471.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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.