Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Invests $10.05 Million in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Asset Management has invested approximately $10.05 million in National Fuel Gas Company, acquiring 126,952 shares during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Ameriprise Financial and BNP Paribas, have increased their stakes in National Fuel Gas, which now has 73.96% of its stock owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.535 per share, reflecting a positive change from the previous dividend and a yield of 2.5%.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 126,952 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $10,053,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. owned about 0.14% of National Fuel Gas as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 29.6% during the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,153,236 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $170,515,000 after purchasing an additional 491,890 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 93.7% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 951,069 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $75,315,000 after purchasing an additional 460,100 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 98.9% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 715,645 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $56,672,000 after purchasing an additional 355,800 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter worth about $20,892,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter worth about $17,809,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE NFG traded up $0.97 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $86.98. 532,862 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 488,724. The company's 50-day moving average is $86.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.88. National Fuel Gas Company has a one year low of $58.82 and a one year high of $89.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.61.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.81% and a net margin of 11.15%.The business had revenue of $531.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $596.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. National Fuel Gas's revenue for the quarter was up 27.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on NFG. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen cut National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Zacks Research lowered National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $107.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.