National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. 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 for the company. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG stock traded up $0.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $63.97. 259,501 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 521,280. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $45.32 and a twelve month high of $65.06. 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's 50-day simple moving average is $61.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.69. The firm has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.96 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is presently 254.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. The trade was a 17.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 2.4% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 76,526 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $4,111,000 after acquiring an additional 1,812 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter valued at $270,000. Comerica Bank lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 41,713 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $2,241,000 after purchasing an additional 888 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 139.9% in the second quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 2.9% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 75,493 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $4,091,000 after buying an additional 2,159 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.