StockNews.com Upgrades National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) to “Hold”

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

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

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $63.59 on Monday. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $45.32 and a 1 year high of $65.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $61.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.51 and a beta of 0.64.

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 paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 254.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 value of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 44.2% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,498,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $151,416,000 after purchasing an additional 765,236 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 159.5% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 880,434 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $47,711,000 after buying an additional 541,176 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 262.5% during the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 318,078 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $17,237,000 after buying an additional 230,332 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 261.4% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 173,283 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $9,390,000 after acquiring an additional 125,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 930,775 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $50,441,000 after acquiring an additional 93,780 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

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.