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

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $68.57 and last traded at $69.04, with a volume of 613687 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $67.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NFG shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 1.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average is $62.50 and its 200-day moving average is $60.56. The firm has a market cap of $6.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.64.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 254.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of National Fuel Gas

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the third quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 38.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 696 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.