Bernzott Capital Advisors Lowers Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Bernzott Capital Advisors lowered its holdings in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 123,225 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 11,950 shares during the quarter. National Fuel Gas accounts for about 3.7% of Bernzott Capital Advisors' holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Bernzott Capital Advisors owned about 0.14% of National Fuel Gas worth $7,477,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MQS Management LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 8,631 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $523,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 30,021 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.4% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 21,363 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 4.3% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 7,692 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of 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 raised National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:NFG traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $68.33. The stock had a trading volume of 613,687 shares, compared to its average volume of 577,244. The company's 50 day moving average is $61.87 and its 200-day moving average is $60.13. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $45.32 and a 12-month high of $68.57. 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 company has a market cap of $6.21 billion, a PE ratio of 84.36 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is 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.