National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) Receives $106.00 Consensus PT from Brokerages

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

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $76.48 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $87.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $85.26. The stock has a market cap of $7.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.37. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $75.85 and a 52 week high of $97.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $858.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $856.57 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 27.48%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. On average, analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 7.59 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a $0.535 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NFG. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 458.0% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 279 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. HM Payson & Co. bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the first quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

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.