National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Sets New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on NFG shares. Bank of America upped their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded 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 issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $82.33.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 2.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -584.82 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $79.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.98. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $729.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.79 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is presently 479.07%.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NFG. Strs Ohio bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at $3,295,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at about $138,000. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 79.5% in 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. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 16,186.7% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 4,886 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 4,856 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 3.9% during 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 worth $17,480,000 after purchasing an additional 8,304 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.