National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Lowered to "Hold" Rating by Zacks Research

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 Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded National Fuel Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Bank of America upgraded National Fuel Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $85.00 to $107.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Scotiabank restated 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 given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Fuel Gas currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $96.67.

National Fuel Gas Stock Down 0.3%

NFG traded down $0.2550 during trading on Monday, reaching $87.1250. The stock had a trading volume of 450,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 652,638. The stock's 50 day moving average is $86.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.61. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.65. National Fuel Gas has a one year low of $58.50 and a one year high of $89.82.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $531.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $596.12 million. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 20.81% and a net margin of 11.15%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 27.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior 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. As a group, analysts expect that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 401.4% in the second quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 16,557 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,437,000 after purchasing an additional 13,255 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 37.0% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,539 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 956 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 13.7% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 6,789 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Castleark Management LLC purchased a new position in National Fuel Gas in the second quarter worth about $180,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in National Fuel Gas by 128.4% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 13,078 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,352 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.