StockNews.com Upgrades National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) to Hold

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday.

NFG has been the subject of a number of other reports. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE NFG opened at $60.62 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a PE ratio of 74.84 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $61.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.20. 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 quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,232 shares of company stock valued at $1,945,367 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NFG. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth about $46,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.