HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Boosts Stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,743 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 166.4% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 690 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 123.0% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 767 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LifeSteps Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NFG traded down $0.24 on Friday, reaching $57.46. The stock had a trading volume of 509,399 shares, compared to its average volume of 545,235. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $55.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.50. The company has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.34 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $45.32 and a 12-month high of $58.60.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $629.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.33 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 15.06% and a net margin of 23.84%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.54 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.87%.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

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

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.