Hancock Whitney Corp Buys 303 Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Hancock Whitney Corp raised its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 21,363 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,295,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gabelli Funds LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 2,533,482 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $137,289,000 after buying an additional 24,800 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 44.2% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,498,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $151,416,000 after acquiring an additional 765,236 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,274,893 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $69,086,000 after acquiring an additional 3,816 shares during the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.4% during the second quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,246,822 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $67,565,000 after purchasing an additional 4,636 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 11.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 930,775 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $50,441,000 after purchasing an additional 93,780 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NFG. Bank of America started coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective 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. One 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

Insider Transactions 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 on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,496.31. The trade was a 17.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $63.38 on Wednesday. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $45.32 and a 1 year high of $65.06. The firm has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.25 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50-day moving average of $61.08 and a 200 day moving average of $58.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. National Fuel Gas’s 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.