National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $106.00.

NFG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.0%

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $75.88 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.84. The company has a market cap of $7.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.37. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $75.17 and a 52-week high of $97.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $858.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $856.57 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 27.48% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. Analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.96%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 458.0% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 279 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. HM Payson & Co. bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 170.2% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 516 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About National Fuel Gas

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.