Stephens Inc. AR Sells 161 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,804 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 161 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $292,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during 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 last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NFG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.1 %

NFG stock opened at $72.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $65.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.23. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $46.91 and a 12 month high of $73.13. The company has a market capitalization of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -515.47 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid 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 dividend yield of 2.85%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. The trade was 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.

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.