Russell Investments Group Ltd. Boosts Holdings in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. has increased its stake in National Fuel Gas Company by 115.9%, acquiring an additional 19,111 shares, bringing its total holdings to 35,607 shares valued at approximately $2.82 million.
• A recent change in analyst ratings saw Bank of America upgrading National Fuel Gas from "underperform" to "buy", raising the price target from $85 to $107, while other analysts have varied in their ratings.
• National Fuel Gas Company reported quarterly earnings of $1.64 per share, surpassing analysts’ expectations and marking a significant year-over-year revenue increase of 27.4%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 115.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,607 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after acquiring an additional 19,111 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $2,820,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mariner LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 20,291 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 989,487 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $60,043,000 after purchasing an additional 43,656 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 51,493 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $3,125,000 after purchasing an additional 4,281 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 163.3% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 8,464 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 5,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in National Fuel Gas by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 152,887 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $9,277,000 after purchasing an additional 9,598 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG stock traded down $0.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $86.70. 129,047 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 636,025. The company has a market capitalization of $7.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.59, 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's 50-day moving average is $86.25 and its 200 day moving average is $81.02. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1 year low of $58.50 and a 1 year high of $89.82.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $531.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $596.12 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 11.15% and a return on equity of 20.81%. National Fuel Gas's revenue was up 27.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $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 research analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This is an increase from National Fuel Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NFG. Zacks Research downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Bank of America raised shares of National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $85.00 to $107.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.