Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Boosts Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,493 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,084 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.15% of National Fuel Gas worth $8,040,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NFG. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,906 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 993 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,894 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NFG stock opened at $78.81 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $73.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -562.85 and a beta of 0.57. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $51.46 and a 12-month high of $79.49.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Company 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.