Bernzott Capital Advisors Sells 28,172 Shares of National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Key Points

• Bernzott Capital Advisors reduced its stake in National Fuel Gas Company by 34.9%, selling 28,172 shares and now holds approximately 0.06% of the company valued at $4,460,000.
• Institutional investors own 73.96% of National Fuel Gas, with notable activity including increases in holdings by Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. and new positions taken by Ethic Inc. and others during the second quarter.
• Analysts' ratings on National Fuel Gas have shifted, with Zacks cutting its rating to "hold", while Bank of America upgraded it to "buy" with a target price increase to $107.00.

Bernzott Capital Advisors lessened its position in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 34.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 52,654 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 28,172 shares during the period. National Fuel Gas makes up about 2.3% of Bernzott Capital Advisors' holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Bernzott Capital Advisors owned 0.06% of National Fuel Gas worth $4,460,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.0% during the second quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 62,496 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $5,294,000 after buying an additional 1,239 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 2nd quarter valued at about $387,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its stake in National Fuel Gas by 4,547.4% during the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 883 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 864 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 15.9% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 2,272 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,050,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on NFG shares. Zacks Research cut National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Bank of America upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $107.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $102.00 to $106.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $98.00.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NFG opened at $82.24 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.58. The company's 50-day moving average is $87.49 and its 200 day moving average is $84.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.46. National Fuel Gas Company has a fifty-two week low of $58.82 and a fifty-two week high of $94.13.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 11.15% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The company had revenue of $531.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $596.12 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.99 EPS. National Fuel Gas's revenue was up 27.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is presently 80.45%.

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.

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