Blue Trust Inc. Has $342,000 Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 35.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,641 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,488 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NFG. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 38.6% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. 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 report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Bank of America started 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NFG stock opened at $70.05 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $63.48 and a 200-day moving average of $61.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -500.32 and a beta of 0.64. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $45.32 and a 1-year high of $73.13.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.52%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.94%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,471.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction 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 owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

About National Fuel Gas

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.