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 report report published on Friday.

A number of other research firms have also commented on NFG. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.4 %

NFG stock opened at $63.99 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.00 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $61.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.53.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 254.32%.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. This trade represents a 17.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 53,460 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,873,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at $46,000. BOKF NA raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.0% during the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 44,562 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,377,000 after purchasing an additional 2,120 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 76,526 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,111,000 after purchasing an additional 1,812 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Energy Income Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 2,595,437 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $139,427,000 after buying an additional 62,009 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

About National Fuel Gas

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.