National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Stock Holdings Decreased by Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc.

Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. reduced its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 38,218 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 964 shares during the period. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $2,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NFG. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NFG stock opened at $74.07 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -529.00 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.96. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $48.06 and a 52 week high of $74.21.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,471.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total value of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NFG has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

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.