Private Capital Management LLC Sells 3,500 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Private Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,500 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 3,500 shares during the quarter. Private Capital Management LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,182,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 44.2% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,498,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $151,416,000 after purchasing an additional 765,236 shares during the period. Ibex Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,943,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 243.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 102,672 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $6,223,000 after buying an additional 72,802 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 33.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 86.3% in the fourth quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 92,881 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,662,000 after acquiring an additional 43,016 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $73.52 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $67.57 and its 200 day moving average is $63.11. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $48.32 and a 12-month high of $74.70. The stock has a market cap of $6.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -525.10 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

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

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. The trade was a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.41% 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.