Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Trims Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd decreased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 54.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 10,593 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 12,672 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $642,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NFG. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 4.2% during the third quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 11,343 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $688,000 after buying an additional 456 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth approximately $1,190,000. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at $957,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 12,191 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $739,000 after purchasing an additional 2,632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth $342,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $61.37 on Friday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $61.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.10. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $45.32 and a twelve month high of $65.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.57 billion, a PE ratio of 75.77 and a beta of 0.63.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 254.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. The trade was a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,232 shares of company stock valued at $1,945,367 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

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.