National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $75.17 and last traded at $76.3620, with a volume of 893133 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $75.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 1.1%

The company has a market cap of $7.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.41, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $81.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by ($0.14). National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 27.48% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The firm had revenue of $858.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $856.57 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.39 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 158.7% in the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 95,206 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $8,794,000 after acquiring an additional 58,399 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 51.7% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 64,112 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,922,000 after acquiring an additional 21,861 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 74.9% during the 3rd quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 521,928 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $48,210,000 after acquiring an additional 223,459 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 39.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 100,255 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $9,261,000 after acquiring an additional 28,118 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 31.4% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 45,118 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,168,000 after purchasing an additional 10,773 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

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.