Fifth Third Bancorp Has $358,000 Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,894 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 322 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $358,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 38.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In related news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE NFG opened at $70.29 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $45.32 and a twelve month high of $73.13. 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 $6.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 86.78, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.10.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.88% and a net margin of 3.99%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,471.43%.

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.