National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) PT Raised to $72.00 at Scotiabank

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) had its price objective lifted by equities research analysts at Scotiabank from $67.00 to $72.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “sector outperform” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock. Scotiabank’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 33.95% from the company’s previous close.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $53.75. 390,840 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 582,634. The company has a market cap of $4.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.27 and a beta of 0.63. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $45.32 and a 52 week high of $57.80. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.56.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.81% and a net margin of 21.58%. The company had revenue of $525.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $664.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NFG. Private Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 97.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Capital Management LLC now owns 19,700 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $988,000 after acquiring an additional 9,700 shares in the last quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 9.5% during the first quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 49,857 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,678,000 after acquiring an additional 4,337 shares in the last quarter. Emprise Bank bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the first quarter valued at $269,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 12,673 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 21.5% in the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 2,606 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

About National Fuel Gas

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.