Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. Invests $100,000 in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,651 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $100,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in 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. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was 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 approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total value of $1,216,257.64. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This trade 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 company insiders.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE NFG opened at $71.98 on Tuesday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $46.35 and a fifty-two week high of $73.13. The stock has a market cap of $6.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -514.08 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a fifty day moving average of $64.51 and a 200-day moving average of $61.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NFG. Bank of America began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

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.