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

StockNews.com lowered shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on 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. Bank of America began 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. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $62.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $61.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.72. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $45.32 and a 1-year high of $65.06. The firm has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.98 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.28%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently 254.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. The trade was a 17.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NFG. MQS Management LLC increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 8,631 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $523,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 30,021 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,820,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management boosted its holdings in 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 grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 21,363 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.