Zacks Research Downgrades National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) to Hold

Key Points

• National Fuel Gas was downgraded by Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating, indicating a shift in analyst sentiment.
• The company's recent earnings report reflected a positive earnings per share of $1.64, exceeding the analysts' estimate, but revenue fell short of expectations.
• Institutional investors have increased their stakes in National Fuel Gas, with ownership now standing at 73.96% of the company's stock.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, August 18th,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on NFG. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Bank of America upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $107.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $96.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

NFG traded down $0.5450 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $86.6750. The company had a trading volume of 147,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 640,192. 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 market cap of $7.83 billion, a PE ratio of 32.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.65. National Fuel Gas has a 12-month low of $58.50 and a 12-month high of $89.82. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $86.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.72.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $531.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $596.12 million. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 11.15% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The company's revenue was up 27.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company 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, sell-side analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Fuel Gas

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 9,475.0% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 383 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 316.7% in the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 400 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 355.1% in the 2nd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 405 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.