National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $82.97 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.49. The company has a quick ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 3.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $75.17 and a twelve month high of $97.06. The company has a market capitalization of $7.89 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.37.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $537.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.33 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 26.97%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. VELA Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 33.5% in the second quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 45,298 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,497,000 after acquiring an additional 11,373 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LP raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 29.8% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 16,688 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,293,000 after acquiring an additional 3,836 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the second quarter worth about $25,489,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 7,517.2% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,088,211 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $624,491,000 after purchasing an additional 7,982,027 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the second quarter worth about $433,000. Institutional investors 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.