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 released on Friday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 1.1 %

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $64.23 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $45.32 and a 12 month high of $64.30. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.48. The company has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.30 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 254.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the business’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 sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. The trade was a 17.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Energy Income Partners LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $139,427,000 after purchasing an additional 62,009 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.0% in the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 2,533,482 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $137,289,000 after buying an additional 24,800 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 44.2% during the 3rd 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 buying an additional 765,236 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,274,893 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $69,086,000 after acquiring an additional 3,816 shares during the period. Finally, Equity Investment Corp raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,246,822 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $67,565,000 after acquiring an additional 4,636 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.