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

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $56.30 and last traded at $55.92, with a volume of 85159 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $55.57.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $52.43 and its 200 day moving average is $50.84. The company has a market capitalization of $5.13 billion, a PE ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 0.63.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $629.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $767.33 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm 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 analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 4.87 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter valued at $202,000. Equity Investment Corp increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,242,186 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $66,730,000 after purchasing an additional 269,441 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 12.6% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 130,375 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $7,004,000 after buying an additional 14,604 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 27.1% in the 1st quarter. Sciencast Management LP now owns 13,863 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $745,000 after buying an additional 2,958 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 80,629 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,331,000 after acquiring an additional 1,311 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.