Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Sells 4,075 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 126,204 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 4,075 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $7,658,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 11,826 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $718,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 13,240 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $803,000 after purchasing an additional 3,539 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,086,000. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors bought a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $367,000. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 93,429 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,717,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In related news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’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 value of $1,216,257.64. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on NFG. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target 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. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NFG stock opened at $75.18 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $67.88 and a 200-day moving average of $63.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -536.96 and a beta of 0.64. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $48.32 and a 12 month high of $75.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 15.96%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

National Fuel Gas 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.