National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Purchased by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 1,608.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 6,972 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,564 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $423,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $467,000 after acquiring an additional 859 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,277,000. Welch Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $526,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $718,000. Finally, Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth $1,066,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.1 %

NFG stock opened at $62.67 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $61.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.77. The company has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.37 and a beta of 0.63. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $45.32 and a 52 week high of $65.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 254.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NFG shares. Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Two 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In related news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. This represents a 17.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.