National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Price Target Raised to $81.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) had its price objective hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $77.00 to $81.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on NFG. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NFG opened at $76.49 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -546.32 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $51.14 and a twelve month high of $76.58. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.35.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,471.43%.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,698 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $238,000. Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $957,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,277,000. Finally, Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $716,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.