National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

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

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on NFG. 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. Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 report on Tuesday, November 12th. Two research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $60.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.34. The stock has a market cap of $5.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.82 and a beta of 0.63. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $45.32 and a 1-year high of $65.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently 254.32%.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In other news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total value of $1,216,257.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. MQS Management LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% in the third 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 period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.7% in the third quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 30,021 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,182 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp increased its stake in shares of 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. 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.