Allworth Financial LP Acquires 578 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 46.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,814 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 578 shares during the quarter. Allworth Financial LP’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 44.2% in 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 acquiring an additional 765,236 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 920,918 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $55,817,000 after acquiring an additional 7,830 shares during the period. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 8.1% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 325,966 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $19,757,000 after acquiring an additional 24,564 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $13,386,000 after acquiring an additional 55,152 shares during the period. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. now owns 159,753 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $9,694,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE:NFG opened at $72.58 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.76. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $48.06 and a 52-week high of $73.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a PE 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. Analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on NFG. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was 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 owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.41% of the company’s stock.

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.