CWA Asset Management Group LLC Buys 1,028 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,719 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,028 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 85,253 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 16,200 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 993 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 33.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 176.2% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,046 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,276,000 after acquiring an additional 13,425 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on NFG shares. Bank of America started coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. 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. Finally, Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In other news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 1.6 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $62.16 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.76. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $65.06. The company has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of 76.74 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.32.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 254.32%.

National Fuel Gas 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.