National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Sold by Old Port Advisors

Old Port Advisors reduced its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,635 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 199 shares during the quarter. Old Port Advisors’ holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,859,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 29.9% during the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 105,975 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,743,000 after purchasing an additional 24,374 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 34.2% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 44,898 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,433,000 after buying an additional 11,437 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc. boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 15.4% in the second quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 18,361 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $995,000 after acquiring an additional 2,447 shares during the last quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 16.9% in the second quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 8,050 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investment Services LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the second quarter valued at about $300,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price 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. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:NFG traded up $0.42 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $61.10. 64,865 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 518,647. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.52. The firm has a market cap of $5.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.43 and a beta of 0.63. 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 has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $65.06.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. 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 3.37%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 254.32%.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In other news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. The trade was a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

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.