Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $156.81 Million Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 85,950 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 2.85% of National Fuel Gas worth $156,807,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NFG. Ibex Wealth Advisors bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,943,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 243.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 102,672 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,223,000 after acquiring an additional 72,802 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 33.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 86.3% in the fourth quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 92,881 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,662,000 after acquiring an additional 43,016 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,399,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities 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. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE NFG opened at $74.89 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $68.45 and its 200-day moving average is $63.51. The stock has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -534.88 and a beta of 0.57. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $49.90 and a twelve month high of $76.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced 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 negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

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.