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

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 132,493 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,084 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $8,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NFG. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $238,000. Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth $957,000. Vestcor Inc purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth $716,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 76.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,790 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,927,000 after acquiring an additional 13,739 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on NFG shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.2 %

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $78.81 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a one year low of $51.46 and a one year high of $79.49. The business’s fifty day moving average is $73.51 and its 200 day moving average is $65.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.14 billion, a PE ratio of -562.85 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

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

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.