Rhumbline Advisers Sells 327 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Rhumbline Advisers lessened its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 248,726 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 327 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $15,093,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $72.58 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $48.06 and a 52 week high of $73.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $66.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.73. The firm has a market cap of $6.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -518.41 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued 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 yield of 2.84%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,471.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.