National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on NFG. KeyCorp began coverage on National Fuel Gas in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NFG stock opened at $82.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 3.07. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $78.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.37. National Fuel Gas has a 12 month low of $75.17 and a 12 month high of $97.06.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.10. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 26.97%.The company had revenue of $537.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.33 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. National Fuel Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.400-7.600 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that National Fuel Gas will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NFG. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 458.0% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 279 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. HM Payson & Co. bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) is a diversified energy company engaged primarily in the production, gathering, transmission, distribution and marketing of natural gas. The company operates through four principal segments: Exploration & Production, Pipeline & Storage, Utilities, and Energy Marketing. Its integrated asset base spans upstream development in the Appalachian Basin, regional pipeline networks, underground storage facilities, and regulated utility distribution systems.

In its Exploration & Production segment, National Fuel Gas focuses on developing natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica shales, leveraging modern drilling and completion techniques.