National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Short Interest Update

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

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. LifeSteps Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter worth about $46,000. First National Trust Co purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter worth about $209,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 123.0% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 767 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 26,317 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,414,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,225,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $53.81 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $51.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.89. The company 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 has a 12 month low of $45.32 and a 12 month high of $56.67.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $525.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $664.57 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 14.81% and a net margin of 21.58%. National Fuel Gas’s quarterly revenue was down 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.