National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Insider Sells $1,216,257.64 in Stock

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s 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 approximately $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NFG traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $62.67. The stock had a trading volume of 317,239 shares, compared to its average volume of 520,261. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.77. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $45.32 and a 1 year high of $65.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 77.41 and a beta of 0.63.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is presently 254.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,386,000 after purchasing an additional 55,152 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 176.2% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,046 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,276,000 after acquiring an additional 13,425 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at $1,052,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 9.9% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,246 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 1,817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortem Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth about $914,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on NFG shares. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a 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 Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Scotiabank upped their target price 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. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price for the company. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

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.