Michael W. Reville Sells 1,700 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Stock

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,496.31. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $58.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.77. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $61.56. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.12. The company has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.70 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $417.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $540.62 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 16.42%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 5.04 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.87%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NFG. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,955 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $750,000 after acquiring an additional 3,515 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 882,737 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $44,287,000 after purchasing an additional 31,530 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 24.6% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 27,487 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 5,431 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,804,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 263,689 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $13,229,000 after buying an additional 20,203 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th.

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.