National Fuel Gas (NFG) Projected to Post Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) will likely be releasing its earnings data after the market closes on Wednesday, January 29th. Analysts expect National Fuel Gas to post earnings of $1.44 per share and revenue of $595,758.89 billion for the quarter. Individual that wish to register for the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NFG stock opened at $69.78 on Wednesday. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $45.32 and a 12-month high of $69.83. The company has a market capitalization of $6.34 billion, a PE ratio of 86.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $62.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 254.32%.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total value of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 41,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at $5,101,459.02. This trade represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

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.