National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

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

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on NFG. Scotiabank increased their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 12th.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $62.53 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.41 and a beta of 0.62. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $60.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.19. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $45.32 and a 52 week high of $63.54.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.03. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The company 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 earned $1.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 5.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National Fuel Gas news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,496.31. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.