National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $106.00.

NFG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp initiated coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research raised National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $75.88 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $82.19 and a 200 day moving average of $84.84. The company has a market cap of $7.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $75.17 and a 12-month high of $97.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by ($0.14). National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 27.48%.The business had revenue of $858.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $856.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is presently 28.96%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,035,345 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $343,962,000 after purchasing an additional 132,855 shares in the last quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 2,589,824 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $243,340,000 after purchasing an additional 28,755 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 103.4% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,138,153 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $197,501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087,067 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,816,217 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $145,446,000 after acquiring an additional 121,099 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 653.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,582,782 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $126,718,000 after acquiring an additional 1,372,742 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.