First Trust Advisors LP Grows Stock Position in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in National Fuel Gas by 26.1% in Q3 to 705,328 shares (an additional 146,050 shares), worth about $65.15 million.
• Other large institutional moves included a new position by Norges Bank (~$91.96M) and big increases from Qube (+642.7%), Jupiter (+99.6%) and AQR (+17.6%), leaving hedge funds/institutions with about 73.96% ownership.
• National Fuel beat Q expectations with EPS $2.06 vs $1.91 estimate and revenue up 18.6% to $651.51M, and it set FY2026 guidance of 7.600–8.100 EPS; analysts show a mixed view (consensus target $96.33; 2 Buy, 2 Hold, 1 Sell).

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 705,328 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 146,050 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.78% of National Fuel Gas worth $65,151,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the 2nd quarter valued at $91,964,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in National Fuel Gas by 642.7% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 465,830 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $39,460,000 after buying an additional 403,107 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 99.6% during the third quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 465,254 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $42,976,000 after acquiring an additional 232,130 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 17.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,051,086 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $89,038,000 after acquiring an additional 157,220 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,035,345 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $343,962,000 after acquiring an additional 132,855 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NFG stock opened at $91.21 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $84.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $84.37. National Fuel Gas Company has a 52 week low of $69.93 and a 52 week high of $94.13. The stock has a market cap of $8.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.72, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.15. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 27.65%.The firm had revenue of $651.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $650.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.66 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. National Fuel Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.600-8.100 EPS. Analysts predict that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank set a $101.00 target price on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research cut National Fuel Gas from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $96.33.

National Fuel Gas Profile

National Fuel Gas Company NYSE: NFG is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.

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