National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Stock Holdings Lifted by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,814 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. MQS Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.0% during the third quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 8,631 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $523,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 30,021 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,820,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1.4% during the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 21,363 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after buying an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.3% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 7,692 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 318 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. The trade was a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % 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 company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NFG. Bank of America began coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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. Finally, Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $66.30 on Thursday. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $45.32 and a 52 week high of $66.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $6.02 billion, a PE ratio of 81.85 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $61.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.03.

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 paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.