National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.54

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, June 12th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of 0.535 per share by the oil and gas producer on Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This is a 3.9% increase from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52.

National Fuel Gas has a dividend payout ratio of 24.3% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect National Fuel Gas to earn $7.79 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.06 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 26.4%.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:NFG traded down $0.05 on Friday, reaching $84.11. 428,235 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 559,144. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -600.74 and a beta of 0.62. The company's 50 day moving average is $79.91 and its 200-day moving average is $72.79. 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 has a 1-year low of $53.03 and a 1-year high of $86.63.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at $138,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at $247,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 79.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 12,729 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 5,638 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 30.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 159,953 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $12,667,000 after purchasing an additional 36,913 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 220,730 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $17,480,000 after purchasing an additional 8,304 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

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.