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

Hancock Whitney Corp grew its stake in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 1.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,363 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,295,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. MQS Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. increased its position 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 valued at $1,820,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 6.2% during the second quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,182 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 0.5% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 53,460 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,873,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 1.0 %

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $63.38 on Wednesday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $61.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.53. 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 stock has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.25 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 254.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National Fuel Gas news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. This trade represents a 17.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank upped their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America initiated coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

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.