National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Monday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on 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. Scotiabank raised their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $59.10 on Monday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $61.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.20. The stock has a market cap of $5.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 72.96 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.32.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.49%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 254.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,232 shares of company stock valued at $1,945,367. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,386,000 after buying an additional 55,152 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 176.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,046 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 13,425 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,052,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,246 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 1,817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortem Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth about $914,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

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.