National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on NFG. Scotiabank increased their price target on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a sector outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:NFG opened at $60.57 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $5.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $45.32 and a twelve month high of $61.56.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $417.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $540.62 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.01 EPS. Analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 5.05 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.87%.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In related news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total transaction of $103,309.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $498,496.31. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,313,064 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $715,178,000 after purchasing an additional 104,587 shares in the last quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 2.4% in the first quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 2,595,437 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $139,427,000 after buying an additional 62,009 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1.0% in the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 2,533,482 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $137,289,000 after buying an additional 24,800 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 46.5% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,732,969 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $93,910,000 after acquiring an additional 550,153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,320,850 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $70,956,000 after purchasing an additional 96,410 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

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.