Equity Investment Corp Has $74.88 Million Stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Equity Investment Corp lessened its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,233,990 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 11,421 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp owned 1.36% of National Fuel Gas worth $74,879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $73.73 on Thursday. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $48.19 and a 52 week high of $74.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $67.29 and its 200-day moving average is $63.03. The firm has a market cap of $6.68 billion, a P/E ratio of -526.61 and a beta of 0.64.

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

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NFG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.