National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold” Rating

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

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

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

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

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NFG. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth about $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth about $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.