National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at KeyCorp

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) was upgraded by investment analysts at KeyCorp to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on NFG. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Scotiabank set a $101.00 target price on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.00.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

National Fuel Gas stock traded down $1.98 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $94.00. 60,241 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 792,886. The company’s fifty day moving average is $90.26 and its 200-day moving average is $85.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $8.93 billion, a PE ratio of 13.13, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.52. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $70.93 and a 52 week high of $97.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $651.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $650.70 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 27.65% and a return on equity of 21.45%. National Fuel Gas’s revenue was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 88.5% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 360 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in National Fuel Gas by 105.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 423 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.