National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $73.14 and last traded at $72.88, with a volume of 190723 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.20.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on NFG. Bank of America began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 1.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The business has a 50-day moving average of $65.78 and a 200-day moving average of $62.44. The firm has a market cap of $6.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -521.39 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,471.32%.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. The trade was a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total value of $1,216,257.64. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. This trade represents a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Novem Group bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $289,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 106.8% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 7,472 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $453,000 after acquiring an additional 3,859 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 212,426 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $12,890,000 after acquiring an additional 5,519 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 237.9% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 163,763 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $9,937,000 after acquiring an additional 115,293 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 84.6% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 88,800 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,388,000 after acquiring an additional 40,700 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

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.