National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $96.3333.

Several analysts have recently commented on NFG shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Scotiabank set a $101.00 price target on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Wednesday.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NFG stock opened at $81.59 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a fifty-two week low of $67.11 and a fifty-two week high of $94.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.75 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.44. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.26.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 22.86%.The firm had revenue of $466.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $534.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. National Fuel Gas’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.68%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 30.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 159,953 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $12,667,000 after buying an additional 36,913 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the first quarter worth about $247,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 220,730 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $17,480,000 after acquiring an additional 8,304 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 79.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 12,729 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 5,638 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter valued at about $138,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

About National Fuel Gas

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.