National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Monday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.8%

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $85.04 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $53.98 and a 1-year high of $86.45. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.67. The company has a market cap of $7.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 197.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.62.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.21. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 18.55%. The company had revenue of $729.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $770.81 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.79 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NFG. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 241,379 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $19,115,000 after acquiring an additional 12,294 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at about $3,295,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at about $138,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 79.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 12,729 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 5,638 shares during the period. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 16,186.7% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 4,886 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $387,000 after buying an additional 4,856 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

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.

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