Wealthspire Advisors LLC Purchases 326 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Wealthspire Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,826 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE NFG opened at $74.07 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $48.06 and a 1 year high of $74.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of -529.00 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm earned $1.46 EPS. Analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,471.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on 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 upgraded National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In other news, 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 transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is owned by 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.