National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Shares Sold by Phoenix Wealth Advisors

Phoenix Wealth Advisors trimmed its position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,765 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 171 shares during the quarter. Phoenix Wealth Advisors’ holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $532,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,519 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 670 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Kelly Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $203,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 91,124 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,529,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $220,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NFG opened at $69.78 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.51. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $45.32 and a 1-year high of $69.83. The stock has a market cap of $6.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given 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 2.95%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 254.32%.

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.