Synergy Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Synergy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 86.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 92,881 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,016 shares during the quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $5,662,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NFG. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $957,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth about $1,277,000. Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth approximately $716,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 76.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,790 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,927,000 after purchasing an additional 13,739 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total value of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG stock opened at $68.32 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $63.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.03. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $70.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 3.99% and a return on equity of 14.88%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.19 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 254.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

About National Fuel Gas

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.