Quantinno Capital Management LP Grows Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 106.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,924 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,719 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,026,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NFG. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 44.2% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,498,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $151,416,000 after purchasing an additional 765,236 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 159.5% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 880,434 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $47,711,000 after buying an additional 541,176 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 262.5% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 318,078 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $17,237,000 after acquiring an additional 230,332 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the second quarter worth about $10,741,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas 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 sale, the insider now owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 31,232 shares of company stock valued at $1,945,367. 1.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on NFG. 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. Bank of America started coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank increased their price target 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. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com cut National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $60.78 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $65.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $61.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.04. The firm has a market cap of $5.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.04 and a beta of 0.63.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 254.32%.

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.