National Fuel Gas (NFG) Expected to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) is expected to be issuing its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Wednesday, January 29th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.44 per share and revenue of $595,758.89 billion for the quarter. Parties interested in listening to the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE NFG opened at $68.10 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 84.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $45.32 and a 12 month high of $70.12.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 254.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on NFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

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.