National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

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

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective 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, Bank of America assumed coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 1.8 %

NFG stock opened at $66.30 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a PE ratio of 81.85 and a beta of 0.64. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.03. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $66.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 254.32%.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 2,533,482 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $137,289,000 after acquiring an additional 24,800 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted 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 last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 930,775 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $50,441,000 after purchasing an additional 93,780 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,918 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $55,817,000 after purchasing an additional 7,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 159.5% in 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 in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.