National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $74.92 and last traded at $76.40, with a volume of 1,428,116 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $78.63.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on NFG. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $79.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 3.07 and a current ratio of 3.20. The company has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a PE ratio of 10.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.36.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $467.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $472.38 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 18.20% and a net margin of 26.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.22 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.5550 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.53%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1,032.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 725 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 80.7% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 831 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter worth $72,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) is a diversified energy company engaged in the exploration, production, gathering, transportation, storage and distribution of natural gas. Its operations span the natural gas value chain, with an emphasis on resources and infrastructure in the Appalachian Basin.

Through its exploration and production business, National Fuel develops natural gas reserves primarily in the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania. Its pipeline and storage operations transport and store natural gas for utilities, marketers and other customers, while its gathering systems connect production wells to larger transmission networks.

National Fuel also operates a regulated natural gas utility that distributes gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers in portions of western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania.