National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $65.18 and last traded at $65.00, with a volume of 290683 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $63.67.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on NFG shares. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus raised National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $6.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 83.82 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.32. The company’s fifty day moving average is $61.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.07.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is 254.32%.

Insider Activity

In other National Fuel Gas news, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total value of $1,216,257.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total value of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 81,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 33,994 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,842,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.9% in the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 19,300 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,045,000 after buying an additional 1,080 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 261.4% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 173,283 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $9,390,000 after buying an additional 125,336 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 11.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 930,775 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $50,441,000 after acquiring an additional 93,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 125.4% during the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,588 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $628,000 after acquiring an additional 6,447 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

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.