Baird Financial Group Inc. Trims Stake in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in National Fuel Gas by 10.9%, now holding approximately $4.94 million in the company.
• Analysts' opinions on National Fuel Gas stock are mixed, with research firms giving it a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $96.67.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.535, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.5% for shareholders.

Baird Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 10.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,407 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 7,626 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of National Fuel Gas worth $4,942,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.0% during the first quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,285 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 6,618 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $524,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 15,598 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,235,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,288 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $442,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 22,746 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,801,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NFG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Zacks Research downgraded National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $85.00 to $107.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $96.67.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE NFG traded up $0.97 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $86.98. The stock had a trading volume of 532,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 488,724. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.88. The company has a market cap of $7.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.61. National Fuel Gas Company has a 52-week low of $58.82 and a 52-week high of $89.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.14. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.81% and a net margin of 11.15%.The company had revenue of $531.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $596.12 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. National Fuel Gas's quarterly revenue was up 27.4% compared to the same quarter last year. National Fuel Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-8.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 6.800-6.950 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is 80.45%.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

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.