National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG opened at $83.18 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of 11.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.37. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $75.17 and a 52-week high of $97.06. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $80.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 3.07 and a current ratio of 3.20.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.10. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 26.97% and a return on equity of 19.04%. The company had revenue of $537.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.33 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.64 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.555 dividend. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is presently 30.83%.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter valued at about $748,569,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 7,517.2% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,088,211 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $624,491,000 after buying an additional 7,982,027 shares during the period. Energy Income Partners LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $231,309,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 653.6% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,582,782 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $126,718,000 after buying an additional 1,372,742 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at about $92,415,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About National Fuel Gas

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.