National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) holds an average consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from five research firms, with one firm issuing a strong buy rating and two firms recommending holds.
• The stock has a 12-month price target averaging $96.67, while its recent price performance shows a trading value of $86.87 and a market cap of $7.85 billion.
• National Fuel Gas recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.535 per share, reflecting a 2.5% yield, with a payout ratio currently at 80.45%.

Shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $96.6667.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NFG shares. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Zacks Research lowered National Fuel Gas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $85.00 to $107.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 15th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 9,475.0% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 383 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 316.7% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 400 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in National Fuel Gas by 355.1% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 405 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

Shares of NFG stock traded up $0.7450 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $86.8650. The company had a trading volume of 196,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 641,784. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $85.85 and a 200-day moving average of $80.35. The company has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.65. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $58.47 and a 12-month high of $89.82.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.14. The business 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 revenue was up 27.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

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

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.

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