National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

NFG has been the topic of a number of other reports. Scotiabank raised their price target on 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. cut their target price on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $60.62 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $65.06. The company has a market capitalization of $5.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.84 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a 50 day moving average of $61.61 and a 200 day moving average of $59.20.

Insider Activity

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 sale, the insider now 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,496.31. This represents a 17.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,232 shares of company stock valued at $1,945,367 in the last three months. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. 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 purchasing an additional 859 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,277,000. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at approximately $957,000. Vestcor Inc purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at approximately $716,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 76.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,790 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,927,000 after buying an additional 13,739 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.