C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors Purchases New Stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,042 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $367,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth about $35,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other National Fuel Gas news, 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the business’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 value of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE NFG opened at $72.23 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $65.11 and a 200-day moving average of $62.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -515.88 and a beta of 0.64. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $46.35 and a 12 month high of $73.13.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently -1,471.32%.

National Fuel Gas 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.