Reasons to Add National Fuel Gas (NFG) to Your Portfolio Now

Core Viewpoint - National Fuel Gas (NFG) is benefiting from its high-quality Appalachian assets and rising earnings estimates, with expanding upstream and midstream operations serving as additional tailwinds [1] Growth Projections - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2024 and 2025 sales indicates year-over-year growth of 3% and 15% respectively [7] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2024 and 2025 earnings per share has increased by 2.2% and 1.2% respectively in the past 60 days [13] Return on Equity & Dividend Yield - National Fuel Gas has a return on equity (ROE) of 15.06%, which is higher than the industry average of 9.01% [14] - The company has a dividend yield of 3.54%, significantly above the Zacks S&P 500 composite's average of 1.6% [8] - National Fuel Gas has been paying dividends for the past 122 years and has raised the dividend rate consecutively for the past 54 years [15] Share Repurchase - The company has been actively investing in its operations, with a planned capital expenditure of $885-$980 million for fiscal 2024, which includes $525-$555 million for exploration and production [4] Debt to Capital - National Fuel Gas has a current debt to capital ratio of 41.94%, which is lower than the industry average of 43.83%, indicating a more favorable position in a high interest rate environment [3] Price Performance - Over the past 12 months, National Fuel Gas' shares have returned 7.6%, contrasting with a 1.3% decline in the industry [11]