Barnett & Company Inc. Has $3.15 Million Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Barnett & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 51,942 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the quarter. National Fuel Gas makes up 2.1% of Barnett & Company Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Barnett & Company Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $3,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 859 shares during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $238,000. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth approximately $957,000. Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at approximately $716,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 76.1% during the 3rd 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.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $78.18 on Monday. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $51.46 and a 12 month high of $79.35. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -558.41 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.03.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. Analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.