National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Reaches New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $78.99 and last traded at $78.76, with a volume of 820548 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.66.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report 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 issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $7.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -558.41 and a beta of 0.57. The firm's fifty day moving average is $72.27 and its 200 day moving average is $65.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39.

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National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $67,393,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,019,072 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $61,837,000 after purchasing an additional 279,857 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $16,906,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,067,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199,787 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $146,502,000 after purchasing an additional 117,351 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.