Brokerages Set National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) Target Price at $98.00

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $98.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NFG shares. Scotiabank cut shares of National Fuel Gas from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $102.00 to $106.00 in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, December 22nd.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE NFG opened at $80.86 on Tuesday. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $60.12 and a 12 month high of $94.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $81.05 and a 200-day moving average of $84.80. The company has a market cap of $7.31 billion, a PE ratio of 14.24, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.60.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $466.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $534.57 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 22.86% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.77 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NFG. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 316.7% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 400 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 88.5% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 360 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 355.1% during the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 405 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.