National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Hits New 12-Month High at $61.50

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $61.50 and last traded at $61.42, with a volume of 23305 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $61.22.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFG has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Scotiabank upped their price target on National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.19 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.00.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.03. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The business had revenue of $417.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $540.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.01 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 5.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently 40.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,313,064 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $715,178,000 after buying an additional 104,587 shares during the last quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 2,595,437 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $139,427,000 after purchasing an additional 62,009 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 2,533,482 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $137,289,000 after purchasing an additional 24,800 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 46.5% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,732,969 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $93,910,000 after buying an additional 550,153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,320,850 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $70,956,000 after acquiring an additional 96,410 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.