Ibex Wealth Advisors Purchases New Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Ibex Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 81,463 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,943,000. Ibex Wealth Advisors owned 0.09% of National Fuel Gas at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,498,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $151,416,000 after purchasing an additional 765,236 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 72,802 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth about $2,399,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 205,561 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $12,459,000 after acquiring an additional 33,022 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America began coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com cut National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued 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.

Insider Activity 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 stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NFG traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $68.31. 36,063 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 578,177. The company has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.98. 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 has a 12-month low of $45.32 and a 12-month high of $70.12.

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 given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 254.32%.

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.