Analysts Set National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) PT at $106.00

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $106.00.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 458.0% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 279 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. HM Payson & Co. bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 170.2% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 516 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.0%

National Fuel Gas stock opened at $76.60 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.36, a PEG ratio of 1.68 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. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $80.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.71. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $75.17 and a 52 week high of $97.06.

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

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.555 per share. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 28.96%.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

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.