National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) PT Raised to $72.00

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) had its price objective hoisted by investment analysts at Scotiabank from $67.00 to $72.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector outperform” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock. Scotiabank’s price objective points to a potential upside of 35.36% from the company’s current price.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of National Fuel Gas stock opened at $53.19 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.56. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $50.78. National Fuel Gas has a 52-week low of $45.32 and a 52-week high of $57.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.90 billion, a PE ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 0.63.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 21.58% and a return on equity of 14.81%. The firm had revenue of $525.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $664.57 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 4.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in National Fuel Gas by 0.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 47,532 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,265,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 21.4% in the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,015 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.5% in the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 40,239 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 24,211 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,490,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 21,518 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,080,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. 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.