Donald L. Hagan LLC Sells 279 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Donald L. Hagan LLC lessened its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 21,531 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 279 shares during the period. Donald L. Hagan LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,080,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 103,314 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,142,000 after acquiring an additional 21,748 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,190,115 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $684,699,000 after buying an additional 311,599 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 7,516 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 437.8% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 82,750 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,296,000 after acquiring an additional 67,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 40,239 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE:NFG traded up $0.74 on Friday, hitting $53.72. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 583,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 535,586. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. National Fuel Gas has a one year low of $45.32 and a one year high of $58.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $49.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.78.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $525.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $664.57 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.81% and a net margin of 21.58%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 5.19 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 Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.495 per share. This represents a $1.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.51%.

About National Fuel Gas

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.