Ibex Wealth Advisors Invests $4.94 Million in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Ibex Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 81,463 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $4,943,000. Ibex Wealth Advisors owned about 0.09% of National Fuel Gas at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MQS Management LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 2.0% in the third quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 8,631 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $523,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.7% during the third quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 30,021 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,906 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 2.7 %

NYSE NFG traded up $1.83 on Thursday, reaching $70.29. The company had a trading volume of 1,416,264 shares, compared to its average volume of 663,228. The company's fifty day moving average is $63.22 and its 200 day moving average is $61.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 86.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $73.13.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.88% and a net margin of 3.99%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

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 stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.55% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on NFG. StockNews.com cut National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on 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. Bank of America initiated coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.