National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Reaches New 52-Week High - What's Next?

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $73.14 and last traded at $72.88, with a volume of 190723 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $72.20.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NFG shares. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $6.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -518.41 and a beta of 0.64. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $66.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.59.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is currently -1,471.43%.

Insider Transactions at National Fuel Gas

In related news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. The trade was a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of National Fuel Gas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 41,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,605,439.07. This represents a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,584,155 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $156,807,000 after acquiring an additional 85,950 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 117,351 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,447,665 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $87,844,000 after acquiring an additional 70,332 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth $67,393,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 37.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 279,857 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by 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.