National Fuel Gas Company $NFG Stock Holdings Lifted by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 1,623.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 367,200 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 345,900 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $34,502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 458.0% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 279 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:NFG opened at $81.46 on Wednesday. National Fuel Gas Company has a 12 month low of $75.17 and a 12 month high of $97.06. The firm has a market cap of $7.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company’s 50 day moving average is $78.74 and its 200-day moving average is $84.48.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $858.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $856.57 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 27.48%.National Fuel Gas’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.66 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 30.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on NFG. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.50.

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.