Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Makes New Investment in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

Key Points

• Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI has acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas Company, purchasing 20,500 shares valued at approximately $1.623 million during Q1.
• National Fuel Gas reported a quarterly earnings per share of $1.64, exceeding expectations and marking a 27.4% revenue increase year-over-year.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.535 per share, reflecting a positive change from the previous dividend and a yield of 2.5%.

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 20,500 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $1,623,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NFG. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 9,475.0% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 383 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 316.7% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 400 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the 1st quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NFG. Zacks Research downgraded National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Bank of America raised National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $85.00 to $107.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $96.67.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.2%

National Fuel Gas stock traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $88.03. 76,073 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 626,826. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.09, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.61. National Fuel Gas Company has a fifty-two week low of $58.82 and a fifty-two week high of $89.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $86.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.20.

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 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $596.12 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.81% and a net margin of 11.15%.The company's revenue was up 27.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.535 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. National Fuel Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.45%.

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.