National Fuel Gas Company $NFG Shares Bought by Dark Forest Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its stake in National Fuel Gas Company by an impressive 1,652.0%, owning 65,735 shares valued at approximately $5.2 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Bank of America upgraded National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating, raising the price target from $85 to $107.
• National Fuel Gas recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.535 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $2.14 and a 2.5% dividend yield.

Dark Forest Capital Management LP raised its position in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 1,652.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,735 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 61,983 shares during the quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP owned about 0.07% of National Fuel Gas worth $5,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at about $203,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 13,184 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,044,000 after acquiring an additional 712 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 18.5% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,908 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 29,652.6% in the 1st quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 5,653 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 5,634 shares during the period. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.3%

NFG traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $86.58. 500,221 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 514,863. National Fuel Gas Company has a 12-month low of $58.50 and a 12-month high of $89.82. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $86.44 and a 200 day moving average of $81.61. The firm has a market cap of $7.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

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 the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $596.12 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. The firm'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. Analysts predict that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. This is a boost 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America raised shares of National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $85.00 to $107.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas presently 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.