National Fuel Gas Company $NFG Stock Position Lifted by Bayforest Capital Ltd

Key Points

• Bayforest Capital Ltd significantly increased its stake in National Fuel Gas Company, raising it by 16,186.7% in the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 4,886 shares worth approximately $387,000.
• Multiple institutional investors have also raised their stakes, including Assetmark Inc., which increased its holding by 9,475.0%, indicating strong interest in the company.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with ratings ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Hold", and Bank of America upgrading its price target from $85.00 to $107.00.

Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its stake in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 16,186.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,886 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 4,856 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd's holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $387,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFG. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 54.6% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 49,140 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $2,982,000 after purchasing an additional 17,350 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased 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 valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,660 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $768,000 after buying an additional 1,954 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 10,378 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at about $430,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NFG traded down $0.42 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $87.21. 66,791 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 625,495. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.29. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1-year low of $58.82 and a 1-year high of $89.82. The firm has a market cap of $7.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.61.

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

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is 80.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. Bank of America upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $85.00 to $107.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $96.67.

National Fuel Gas 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.