756 Shares in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Purchased by Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC

Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 756 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $46,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in 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 valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,277,000. Welch Group LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the second quarter valued at approximately $526,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the second quarter valued at approximately $718,000. Finally, Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,066,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America started coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 30th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,496.31. This represents a 17.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, 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. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG stock opened at $62.03 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.81. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $5.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.58 and a beta of 0.63. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $45.32 and a 12-month high of $65.06.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently 254.32%.

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.