National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

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

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $72.18 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $6.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -515.53 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.60. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $45.32 and a 1 year high of $73.13.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 earned $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,471.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.