National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. 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 research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $64.24 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $45.32 and a 12-month high of $64.30. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.31 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,496.31. This represents a 17.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of NFG. Welch Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the second quarter valued at $526,000. Energy Income Partners LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.4% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the second quarter worth about $718,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,066,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,277,000. 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.