National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America initiated coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $61.07 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $61.57 and its 200-day moving average is $59.33. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $45.32 and a 12-month high of $65.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.40 and a beta of 0.63.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MQS Management LLC raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 2.0% during the third quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 8,631 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $523,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. 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 last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 30,021 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 6.2% in the second quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,182 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.4% during the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 21,363 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,295,000 after buying an additional 303 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.