National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Hits New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $80.35 and last traded at $80.09, with a volume of 111334 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $79.20.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $7.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -590.14 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $77.10 and a 200-day moving average of $69.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.21. The firm 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.79 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.49%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is presently 479.07%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 243.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 102,672 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $6,223,000 after buying an additional 72,802 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 176.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,046 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 13,425 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 220,869 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $13,386,000 after purchasing an additional 55,152 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 993 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 85,253 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $5,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.