CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Invests $683,000 in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 8,631 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $683,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter worth approximately $288,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 75.9% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 846 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter worth $233,000. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the first quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the first quarter valued at about $218,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on NFG. Wall Street Zen upgraded National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Bank of America lifted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of NFG stock traded up $2.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $84.09. The stock had a trading volume of 612,727 shares, compared to its average volume of 558,509. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $79.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.65. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $53.03 and a 52-week high of $84.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of -600.60 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $729.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $770.81 million. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. National Fuel Gas's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.