National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on NFG. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on 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 raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG stock opened at $72.41 on Tuesday. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $45.32 and a 12 month high of $73.13. The company has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -517.16 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $63.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.32%.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,152 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 31,917 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,730,000 after buying an additional 1,228 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the second quarter worth $992,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 225.7% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,303 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $806,000 after acquiring an additional 9,219 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.