South Dakota Investment Council Reduces Stock Holdings in National Fuel Gas Company $NFG

South Dakota Investment Council lessened its position in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 32.9% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 17,948 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 8,800 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NFG. Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new position in National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter worth about $7,086,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 84.6% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 61,728 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,942,000 after purchasing an additional 28,293 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of National Fuel Gas by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 315,753 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $25,911,000 after purchasing an additional 24,988 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of National Fuel Gas in the first quarter valued at approximately $63,863,000. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas by 294.9% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 13,976 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 10,437 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on NFG shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded National Fuel Gas from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. KeyCorp started coverage on National Fuel Gas in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.50.

National Fuel Gas Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NFG stock opened at $82.23 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $78.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.52. National Fuel Gas Company has a twelve month low of $75.17 and a twelve month high of $97.06. The company has a market capitalization of $7.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.42, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 3.20, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.10. National Fuel Gas had a net margin of 26.97% and a return on equity of 19.04%. The company had revenue of $537.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.33 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. The firm’s quarterly 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. Research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $0.555 dividend. This is a boost from National Fuel Gas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.83%.

About National Fuel Gas

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.