3,911 Shares in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Bought by Highland Capital Management LLC

Highland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 3,911 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $237,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 44.2% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,498,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $151,416,000 after purchasing an additional 765,236 shares during the last quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth about $4,943,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 243.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 102,672 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,223,000 after buying an additional 72,802 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,386,000 after buying an additional 55,152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,399,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on NFG. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NFG opened at $70.05 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $73.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $63.48 and a 200 day moving average of $61.19. The firm has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -500.32 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.32.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.52%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.43 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -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.