National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Sets New 52-Week High at $56.30

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $56.30 and last traded at $55.92, with a volume of 85159 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $55.57.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the topic of several research reports. Scotiabank upped their target price on National Fuel Gas from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.3 %

The stock has a market cap of $5.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.63. The firm's fifty day moving average is $52.56 and its 200 day moving average is $50.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.38. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 23.84% and a return on equity of 15.06%. The business had revenue of $629.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.33 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.54 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 4.87 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were given a $0.495 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.55%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.29%.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 103,314 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $5,142,000 after buying an additional 21,748 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,190,115 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $684,699,000 after acquiring an additional 311,599 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at $1,674,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 298,410 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $14,971,000 after purchasing an additional 34,156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 890,464 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $44,675,000 after purchasing an additional 162,805 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.