CENTRAL TRUST Co Has $191,000 Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 234.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,140 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $191,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America started coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $72.41 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of -517.16 and a beta of 0.64. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $73.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $63.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.45.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.515 dividend. 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 -1,471.32%.

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.