National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $79.91 and last traded at $79.85, with a volume of 635083 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $79.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on NFG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $7.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -570.28 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $73.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.98.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,471.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1,608.8% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 6,972 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $423,000 after purchasing an additional 6,564 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 76.1% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,790 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,927,000 after buying an additional 13,739 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 7.4% in the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 6,809 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 36.5% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 24,611 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,492,000 after acquiring an additional 6,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centiva Capital LP raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 84.2% during the third quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 6,953 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 3,179 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.