4,647 Shares in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Purchased by Confluence Wealth Services Inc.

Confluence Wealth Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 4,647 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $282,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 44.2% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,498,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $151,416,000 after purchasing an additional 765,236 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,918 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $55,817,000 after buying an additional 7,830 shares during the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 8.1% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 325,966 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $19,757,000 after buying an additional 24,564 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 19.1% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 205,561 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $12,459,000 after acquiring an additional 33,022 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.2 %

NFG opened at $72.57 on Thursday. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $45.32 and a 12 month high of $73.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $64.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -518.31 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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