National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give National Fuel Gas a consensus rating of Moderate Buy (3 buys, 2 holds) with an average one‑year price target of $106.
• The company beat quarterly expectations with $2.06 EPS (vs. $1.91 est.) and 18.6% year‑over‑year revenue growth, and analysts forecast about $6.64 EPS for the year, indicating solid recent performance.
• National Fuel declared a quarterly dividend of $0.535 (annualized $2.14) with an ex‑dividend date of March 31 and a yield of ~2.3%; the stock trades near $94.48 with a PE of 13.18 and roughly 74% institutional ownership.

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $106.00.

NFG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research raised National Fuel Gas from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, December 29th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Scotiabank set a $101.00 price objective on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,228,000. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 51.7% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 64,112 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $5,922,000 after acquiring an additional 21,861 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 103,374 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $9,541,000 after acquiring an additional 13,620 shares in the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 152.2% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 34,345 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $2,909,000 after acquiring an additional 20,726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 26.6% during the 3rd quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 127,075 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $11,738,000 after acquiring an additional 26,737 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.0%

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $94.48 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $69.93 and a 12 month high of $97.06. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $90.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.31. The firm has a market cap of $8.98 billion, a PE ratio of 13.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.52.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $651.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $650.70 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 27.65%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. Analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.535 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.85%.

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.

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