JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Stock Price

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) had its target price hoisted by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $77.00 to $81.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 5.90% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of NFG opened at $76.49 on Thursday. National Fuel Gas has a 1-year low of $50.72 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The company has a 50-day moving average of $70.33 and a 200 day moving average of $64.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -546.32 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 12.6% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at $238,000. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at $957,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth $1,277,000. Finally, Vestcor Inc purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth $716,000. 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.