S.A. Mason LLC Acquires Shares of 619 National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 619 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $38,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NFG. MQS Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 8,631 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $523,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,906 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the period. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.4% during 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In related news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $70.05 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. National Fuel Gas has a one year low of $45.32 and a one year high of $73.13.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on NFG. 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 objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.