National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Bank of America

Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Monday, StockNewsAPI reports. The firm issued an underperform rating and a $62.00 price target on the oil and gas producer's stock.

Several other analysts also recently commented on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, October 19th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock traded down $0.50 on Monday, hitting $61.29. 329,150 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 432,847. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 17.76 and a beta of 0.62. National Fuel Gas has a 1 year low of $45.32 and a 1 year high of $63.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.77.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $417.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $540.62 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 16.42% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The company's revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.01 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 5.08 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Fuel Gas

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,203 shares in the company, valued at $498,496.31. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 25,630 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,553,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the period. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. now owns 158,961 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $9,635,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 157,354 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $9,536,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares during the period. Finally, Heritage Oak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 3rd quarter worth about $258,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

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.