National Fuel Gas Company $NFG Shares Sold by Aventail Capital Group LP

Aventail Capital Group LP decreased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 31.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 439,142 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 200,050 shares during the period. National Fuel Gas comprises approximately 1.9% of Aventail Capital Group LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Aventail Capital Group LP owned approximately 0.49% of National Fuel Gas worth $40,564,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth about $5,228,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 103,374 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $9,541,000 after buying an additional 13,620 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 152.2% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 34,345 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,909,000 after buying an additional 20,726 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 51.7% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 64,112 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,922,000 after buying an additional 21,861 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 26.6% during the 3rd quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 127,075 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $11,738,000 after buying an additional 26,737 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 2.8%

NFG stock opened at $96.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $85.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.54. National Fuel Gas Company has a 12 month low of $69.93 and a 12 month high of $96.78. The company has a market cap of $9.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.57.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.15. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 27.65%.The business had revenue of $651.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $650.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.535 dividend. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NFG has been the topic of several research reports. Scotiabank set a $101.00 target price on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.00.

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.