National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Tuesday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Bank of America began 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 objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $61.07 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $5.55 billion, a PE ratio of 75.40 and a beta of 0.63. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $45.32 and a 12-month high of $65.06. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $61.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.32.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 254.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other 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 value of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. The trade was a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NFG. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 12.6% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 859 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,277,000. Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $957,000. Vestcor Inc purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth approximately $716,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 76.1% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,790 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,927,000 after acquiring an additional 13,739 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.