Aventail Capital Group LP Reduces Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Aventail Capital Group LP reduced its position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 439,142 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 200,050 shares during the quarter. National Fuel Gas makes up 1.9% of Aventail Capital Group LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Aventail Capital Group LP’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $40,564,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 103.4% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,138,153 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $197,501,000 after buying an additional 1,087,067 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $91,964,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 642.7% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 465,830 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $39,460,000 after buying an additional 403,107 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 428.8% in the third quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 308,466 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,493,000 after acquiring an additional 250,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 99.6% in the third quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 465,254 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,976,000 after acquiring an additional 232,130 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $96.38 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $85.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.65. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1 year low of $69.93 and a 1 year high of $96.78. The company has a market capitalization of $9.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.57.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.15. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 27.65% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The firm had revenue of $651.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $650.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Scotiabank set a $101.00 price target on National Fuel Gas in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.00.

About National Fuel Gas

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.