National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Monday morning.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on National Fuel Gas from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.67.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.2 %

NFG stock opened at $73.18 on Monday. National Fuel Gas has a 52 week low of $51.46 and a 52 week high of $80.14. The company has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a PE ratio of -522.64 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.39.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a positive return on equity of 15.96% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is -1,471.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NFG. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 82.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.