Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Makes New Investment in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Key Points

• Clark Capital Management Group Inc. purchased 85,331 shares of National Fuel Gas Company, valued at approximately $6.76 million, representing about 0.09% of the company's stocks.
• Several institutional investors have increased their positions in National Fuel Gas, including LSV Asset Management (up 29.6%) and Invesco Ltd. (up 93.7%) in the first quarter.
• National Fuel Gas recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.535 per share, an increase from the previous dividend of $0.52, indicating a current annualized dividend yield of 2.5%.

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 85,331 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $6,757,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of National Fuel Gas as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 9,475.0% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 383 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 316.7% in the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 400 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE NFG traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $86.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 110,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 630,097. The stock has a market cap of $7.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.46 and a quick ratio of 0.39. National Fuel Gas Company has a one year low of $58.82 and a one year high of $89.82. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $86.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.85.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $531.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $596.12 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 11.15% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 27.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. 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 anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were given a $0.535 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is 80.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on NFG. Zacks Research lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Bank of America raised shares of National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $85.00 to $107.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $96.67.

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.