Private Trust Co. NA Boosts Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 102.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,147 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares during the quarter. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $130,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $467,000 after acquiring an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at $238,000. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth $957,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,277,000. Finally, Vestcor Inc purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at about $716,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In related news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.8 %

NFG opened at $74.76 on Wednesday. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $49.90 and a 12 month high of $76.26. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $68.18 and a 200 day moving average of $63.40. The firm has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -533.98 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results 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 positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

About National Fuel Gas

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.