HMS Capital Management LLC Invests $373,000 in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Key Points

• HMS Capital Management acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas Company valued at approximately $373,000, reporting 5,097 shares bought in the 1st quarter.
• National Fuel Gas recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.535, leading to an annualized dividend of $2.14 and a dividend yield of 2.5%.
• Research analysts have mixed opinions on NFG, with one firm upgrading the stock from "underperform" to "buy" and setting a target price of $107.00, while others maintain a "hold" rating.

HMS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,097 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $373,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NFG. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.0% during the first quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,285 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC raised its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.5% during the first quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 6,618 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $524,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC raised its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 15,598 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings 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 worth $442,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 22,746 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,801,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NFG traded down $0.1910 on Monday, reaching $87.0290. The company's stock had a trading volume of 100,565 shares, compared to its average volume of 639,889. National Fuel Gas Company has a twelve month low of $58.50 and a twelve month high of $89.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a PE ratio of 32.69, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $86.07 and a 200-day moving average of $80.72.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $531.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $596.12 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 11.15% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 27.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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. Equities analysts predict that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Zacks Research downgraded National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Bank of America upgraded National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target 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 research note on Sunday, August 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $96.67.

National Fuel Gas Company 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.