National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Sold by Old Port Advisors

Old Port Advisors reduced its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,635 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 199 shares during the quarter. Old Port Advisors’ holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,859,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 176.2% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,046 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 13,425 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth $1,052,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 9.9% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,246 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 1,817 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fortem Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth $914,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued 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.com, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE:NFG traded up $0.42 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $61.10. The stock had a trading volume of 64,865 shares, compared to its average volume of 518,647. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.43 and a beta of 0.63. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 254.32%.

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.