Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC Acquires Shares of 3,650 National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 3,650 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 21,363 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 72.0% in the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 13,961 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $846,000 after purchasing an additional 5,846 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 46,092 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,794,000 after buying an additional 4,715 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,918 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $55,817,000 after buying an additional 7,830 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $63.38 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.25 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $65.06.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio 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 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 completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. This represents a 17.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on NFG shares. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America initiated 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. Scotiabank lifted their price objective 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, StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

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.