National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Hits New 1-Year Low After Analyst Downgrade

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG – Get Rating) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday after Argus lowered their price target on the stock from $76.00 to $58.00. The company traded as low as $50.30 and last traded at $50.33, with a volume of 95911 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $51.54.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on NFG. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Raymond James downgraded National Fuel Gas from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on National Fuel Gas from $60.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Wednesday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 8.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,771,775 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $724,553,000 after purchasing an additional 892,065 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 8,679,965 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $501,181,000 after buying an additional 139,734 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 13.6% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,658,888 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $445,793,000 after buying an additional 916,971 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.6% during the first quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 2,431,500 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $140,395,000 after purchasing an additional 13,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 11.8% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,438,589 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $84,601,000 after purchasing an additional 151,915 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.25% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a 50-day moving average of $54.72 and a 200 day moving average of $58.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a PE ratio of 8.13, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.67.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.55 by ($0.01). National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 24.93% and a return on equity of 23.69%. The company had revenue of $717.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $697.11 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.68 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 5.2 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.40%.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

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National Fuel Gas Co is a holding company, which engages in the production, gathering, transportation, storage, and distribution of natural gas. It operates through the following segments: Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, and Utility. The Exploration and Production segment seeks to discover and produce raw materials.