National Fuel Gas (NFG) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.52 on January 15th

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, December 6th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.515 per share by the oil and gas producer on Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st.

National Fuel Gas has increased its dividend payment by an average of 3.5% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 55 consecutive years. National Fuel Gas has a dividend payout ratio of 33.8% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect National Fuel Gas to earn $6.82 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.06 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 30.2%.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $60.36 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $61.48 and its 200-day moving average is $59.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.32. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $45.32 and a 52 week high of $65.06. The company has a market capitalization of $5.48 billion, a PE ratio of 74.52 and a beta of 0.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

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.