Insider Selling: National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Insider Sells 19,532 Shares of Stock

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE NFG traded down $0.09 on Tuesday, hitting $62.67. 317,239 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 520,261. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $65.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.41 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $61.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $58.77.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 254.32%.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,498,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $151,416,000 after acquiring an additional 765,236 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 159.5% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 880,434 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $47,711,000 after purchasing an additional 541,176 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 194.3% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 378,588 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $20,516,000 after acquiring an additional 249,967 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 262.5% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 318,078 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $17,237,000 after acquiring an additional 230,332 shares during the period. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,741,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Scotiabank increased their price objective 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. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

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.