National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $84.60 and last traded at $83.90, with a volume of 395405 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $82.02.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
NFG has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. One 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.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.33.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on NFG
National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.0%
The company's 50 day simple moving average is $79.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -600.60 and a beta of 0.62.
National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $729.95 million for 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%. National Fuel Gas's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.54%. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is 479.07%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,285 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $419,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 6,618 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $524,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.2% in the first quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 15,598 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,235,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,288 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $442,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.
National Fuel Gas Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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