National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Bought by Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY

Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,443 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,947 shares during the quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $3,122,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NFG. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 44.2% in the 3rd 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 buying an additional 765,236 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% during the third 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 acquiring an additional 7,830 shares during the period. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $19,757,000 after acquiring an additional 24,564 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 55,152 shares during the period. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. now owns 159,753 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $9,694,000 after purchasing an additional 792 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $75.18 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $48.32 and a 12-month high of $75.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.81 billion, a PE ratio of -536.96 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $67.88 and its 200-day moving average is $63.22.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.74%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,471.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas 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.