National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG stock opened at $72.97 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -521.18 and a beta of 0.61. National Fuel Gas has a one year low of $51.46 and a one year high of $80.14. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share (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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NFG. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at $206,000. Marion Wealth Management bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter worth $239,000. Delphi Management Inc. MA acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter worth $1,541,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 8.7% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,655 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the period. 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.