National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded National Fuel Gas from “sell” to “hold,” while Weiss Ratings slightly downgraded its rating from “buy (b)” to “buy (b-).” Analysts overall rate the stock “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus price target of $105.50.
• National Fuel Gas reported quarterly EPS of $1.54, beating expectations of $1.44, while revenue of $537.5 million fell short of the $564.33 million estimate. Revenue nevertheless increased 1.1% year over year.
• The stock opened at $81.91, with a 12-month range of $75.17 to $97.06 and a market capitalization of approximately $7.78 billion. Institutional investors and hedge funds own nearly 74% of outstanding shares.

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

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $81.91 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.38, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $79.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 3.07. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $75.17 and a 12 month high of $97.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.10. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 26.97%.The company had revenue of $537.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $564.33 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.64 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 84.6% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 61,728 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $4,942,000 after buying an additional 28,293 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter worth about $63,863,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 212,091 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $19,928,000 after buying an additional 17,713 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 294.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 13,976 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,119,000 after acquiring an additional 10,437 shares during the period. Finally, Bernzott Capital Advisors lifted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 31.4% in the 1st quarter. Bernzott Capital Advisors now owns 66,590 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $6,257,000 after acquiring an additional 15,895 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

National Fuel Gas Company NYSE: NFG is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.

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