National Fuel Gas Company $NFG Holdings Boosted by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE:NFG) by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,956 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,100 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $3,875,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in National Fuel Gas by 30.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 159,953 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $12,667,000 after buying an additional 36,913 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the first quarter worth about $247,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 220,730 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $17,480,000 after acquiring an additional 8,304 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 79.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 12,729 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 5,638 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in National Fuel Gas in the 1st quarter valued at about $138,000. Institutional investors own 73.96% of the company’s stock.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NYSE NFG opened at $85.94 on Friday. National Fuel Gas Company has a 12 month low of $69.93 and a 12 month high of $94.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.17 billion, a PE ratio of 11.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $81.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.15. National Fuel Gas had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 27.65%.The firm had revenue of $651.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $650.70 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. National Fuel Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.600-8.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that National Fuel Gas Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.535 dividend. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on NFG. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank set a $101.00 price objective on National Fuel Gas in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research cut National Fuel Gas from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $96.33.

National Fuel Gas 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.