National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Argus

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Argus to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on NFG. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE NFG opened at $64.24 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $5.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.31 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $45.32 and a 1 year high of $64.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.44.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In related news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. This represents a 17.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 53,460 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,873,000 after buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter worth $46,000. BOKF NA increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 5.0% in the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 44,562 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,377,000 after buying an additional 2,120 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.4% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 76,526 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,111,000 after purchasing an additional 1,812 shares during the period. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the first quarter valued at $227,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.