Navellier & Associates Inc. Acquires 3,539 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 36.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,240 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 3,539 shares during the quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NFG opened at $72.58 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $48.06 and a 1-year high of $73.60. The company has a 50-day moving average of $66.48 and a 200 day moving average of $62.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -518.41 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,471.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NFG. Bank of America began coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas 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.