National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at KeyCorp

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) was upgraded by KeyCorp to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Scotiabank set a $101.00 price objective on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised National Fuel Gas from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.00.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NFG opened at $95.93 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.12 billion, a PE ratio of 13.38, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.52. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $70.93 and a 12 month high of $97.06. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $90.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $651.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $650.70 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 27.65%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 4.2% in the third quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 3,184 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC now owns 17,927 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 2,680 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 5.3% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,238 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 88.5% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 360 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

About National Fuel Gas

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.