National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Reaches New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $83.47 and last traded at $83.00, with a volume of 68222 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $82.54.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on NFG shares. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $79.35 and a 200 day moving average of $72.12. The firm has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a P/E ratio of -589.34 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $729.95 million during 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%. The business's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is presently 479.07%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NFG. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $156,807,000 after acquiring an additional 85,950 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199,787 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $146,502,000 after purchasing an additional 117,351 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 29.6% in the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,153,236 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $170,515,000 after purchasing an additional 491,890 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,495,867 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $118,458,000 after buying an additional 48,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,174,783 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $93,031,000 after buying an additional 155,711 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.