National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $63.57 and last traded at $63.56, with a volume of 217312 shares. The stock had previously closed at $61.67.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com upgraded National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Argus upgraded National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 1.1 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $61.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 79.31 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 254.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, General Counsel Michael W. Reville sold 1,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.77, for a total value of $103,309.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 8,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $498,496.31. The trade was a 17.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NFG. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 53,460 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,873,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the first quarter worth $46,000. BOKF NA lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 5.0% in the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 44,562 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,377,000 after buying an additional 2,120 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.4% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 76,526 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,111,000 after acquiring an additional 1,812 shares during the period. Finally, Energy Income Partners LLC grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.4% during the first quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 2,595,437 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $139,427,000 after acquiring an additional 62,009 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.