National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. 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 report on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE NFG opened at $62.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business’s fifty day moving average is $60.03 and its 200 day moving average is $57.19. The company has a market capitalization of $5.75 billion, a PE ratio of 12.41 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $63.54.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.03. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 16.42%. The business had revenue of $417.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $540.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.01 EPS. National Fuel Gas’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 5.05 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,496.31. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 46.5% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,732,969 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $93,910,000 after acquiring an additional 550,153 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 159.5% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 880,434 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $47,711,000 after purchasing an additional 541,176 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,242,186 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $66,730,000 after purchasing an additional 269,441 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 194.3% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 378,588 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $20,516,000 after buying an additional 249,967 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 262.5% in the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 318,078 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $17,237,000 after buying an additional 230,332 shares during the period. 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.