National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Short Interest Update

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) saw a significant drop in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,670,000 shares, a drop of 25.6% from the March 31st total of 3,590,000 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 599,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.5 days.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $53.81 on Friday. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $45.32 and a 12 month high of $56.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.89. The firm has a market cap of $4.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.63.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 21.58% and a return on equity of 14.81%. The business had revenue of $525.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $664.57 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas will post 4.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were paid a $0.495 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.68%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently 41.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NFG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of National Fuel Gas from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 567 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 166.4% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 690 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 123.0% in the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 767 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LifeSteps Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at $46,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.