Clear Creek Financial Management LLC Makes New Investment in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Clear Creek Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,923 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. MQS Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 38.6% in 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. 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 acquiring 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 acquiring an additional 280 shares during the period. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, 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 directly owns 41,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 available through this hyperlink. 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock traded down $0.39 on Thursday, hitting $72.18. 404,984 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 687,966. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -515.53 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 has a 52 week low of $45.32 and a 52 week high of $73.13. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.53.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. Research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,471.32%.

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.