Yaupon Capital Management LP Decreases Position in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Key Points

• Yaupon Capital Management LP significantly reduced its stake in National Fuel Gas Company, selling 633,984 shares for a total holding of 234,640 shares, now valued at approximately $18.58 million.
• National Fuel Gas Company has announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.535 per share, up from $0.52, reflecting a positive momentum in the company's financials.
• Analysts have mixed views on National Fuel Gas, with Zacks Research and Wall Street Zen downgrading the stock to a "hold" rating, while Bank of America upgraded it to a "buy" with a target price increase to $107.00.

Yaupon Capital Management LP trimmed its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) by 73.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 234,640 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 633,984 shares during the quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP owned about 0.26% of National Fuel Gas worth $18,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,623,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the first quarter worth $247,000. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the first quarter worth $471,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the first quarter worth $10,053,000. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 8.3% during the first quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 106,450 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $8,430,000 after purchasing an additional 8,121 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Fuel Gas Trading Up 0.2%

National Fuel Gas stock traded up $0.17 during trading on Friday, hitting $88.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 368,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 489,658. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.61. The stock's fifty day moving average is $86.72 and its 200 day moving average is $82.14. National Fuel Gas Company has a 1-year low of $58.82 and a 1-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.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $531.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $596.12 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.81% and a net margin of 11.15%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. National Fuel Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-8.500 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 6.800-6.950 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.535 per share. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. National Fuel Gas's payout ratio is 80.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on NFG shares. Zacks Research cut National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Bank of America raised National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $85.00 to $107.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen cut National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Fuel Gas has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.