HighTower Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 24,408 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,244 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,487,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 28.8% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 68,964 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,180,000 after purchasing an additional 15,400 shares during the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 84.2% in the third quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 6,953 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $421,000 after buying an additional 3,179 shares during the last quarter. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth about $259,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 36.5% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 24,611 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,492,000 after buying an additional 6,575 shares during the period. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.9% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 55,017 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,335,000 after acquiring an additional 2,057 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $61.37 on Monday. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $45.32 and a 52 week high of $65.06. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $5.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.77 and a beta of 0.63.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 254.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com lowered National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective 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. Scotiabank increased their target price on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,496.31. The trade was a 17.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,232 shares of company stock worth $1,945,367. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.