BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd Invests $259,000 in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,273 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $259,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.0% during the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 2,533,482 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $137,289,000 after buying an additional 24,800 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,498,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $151,416,000 after acquiring an additional 765,236 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,274,893 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $69,086,000 after purchasing an additional 3,816 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,246,822 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $67,565,000 after purchasing an additional 4,636 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 930,775 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $50,441,000 after purchasing an additional 93,780 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE NFG opened at $63.96 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a one year low of $45.32 and a one year high of $65.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.96 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $61.26 and its 200-day moving average is $58.64.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 254.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In related news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. This trade represents a 17.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

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.