Northcape Wealth Management LLC Sells 225 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Northcape Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,025 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 225 shares during the quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Beacon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 123.0% in the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 767 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LifeSteps Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the first quarter worth approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank lifted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National Fuel Gas news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 6,357 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.83, for a total value of $348,554.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 9,903 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,981.49. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock traded up $0.11 on Friday, reaching $58.93. 312,001 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 544,137. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $45.32 and a 52 week high of $59.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $56.90 and a 200 day moving average of $54.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a PE ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.03. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The firm had revenue of $417.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $540.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.01 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is presently 40.87%.

National Fuel Gas 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.