National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Purchased by Exchange Traded Concepts LLC

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 205,561 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,022 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $12,459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.3% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 7,692 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the last quarter. Kwmg LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 103,779 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,290,000 after buying an additional 755 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 30,021 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,820,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 225.7% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,303 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $806,000 after acquiring an additional 9,219 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on NFG shares. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $60.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $61.56. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.80. The company has a market capitalization of $5.51 billion, a PE ratio of 17.50 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $417.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $540.62 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.01 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 5.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.71%.

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.