C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors Takes Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 6,042 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $367,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MQS Management LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.0% during 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 period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 194 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,906 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 21,363 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the 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 approximately $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.41% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NYSE NFG traded down $0.04 on Monday, hitting $72.17. 458,228 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 712,072. The business's fifty day moving average is $65.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.34. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $46.91 and a 12 month high of $73.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -515.47 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share 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 quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on NFG shares. 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $62.00 target price for the company. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, November 12th. One equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.00.

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.