Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. Purchases 792 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 159,753 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $9,694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Financial Advocates Investment Management lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,660 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 556 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $282,000. Spirit of America Management Corp NY lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 96.8% during the fourth quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 3,050 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $185,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 234.0% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 3,140 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $191,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NFG. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective 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. Finally, Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total value of $1,216,257.64. Following 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NFG opened at $71.86 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $73.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.69.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.32%.

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.