National Fuel Gas Rewards Shareholders With 4% Dividend Increase

National Fuel Gas Company NFG announced that its board of directors has approved a 4% hike in the quarterly dividend payment, lifting the payout to 55.5 cents per share. The dividend is payable on July 15, 2026, and will be distributed to shareholders of record as of June 30, 2026.The company’s new annualized dividend is $2.22 per share compared with the previous annual dividend of $2.14. Its current dividend yield is 2.79%, higher than the Zacks S&P 500 composite's average of 1.44%. The company has paid dividends for 124 consecutive years and has increased its annual dividend for 56 straight years. NFG’s long history of dividend distribution reflects its strong operational performance and resilient cash-flow generation.NFG's Dividend Sustainability OutlookAlthough dividend payments are never guaranteed from one quarter to the next, a company’s strategic efforts to improve earnings and operational performance can help assess the sustainability of its dividend policy.National Fuel Gas benefits from rising natural gas demand driven by data center growth, extensive shale assets, enhanced well designs, strategic acquisitions and disciplined capital investments that support long-term production, earnings and dividend growth. NFG in October 2025 announced that it has agreed to acquire CenterPoint’s Ohio natural gas utility business for $2.62 billion, expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar 2026. The transaction is expected to enhance long-term regulated adjusted EPS growth of 5-7% and strengthen dividend prospects by increasing regulated earnings.The company generated nearly $160 million in free cash flow in the second quarter of fiscal 2026. NFG plans to increase free cash flow through strategic investments and operational improvements in its production and gathering businesses, supporting future dividend increases and stronger shareholder returns.The company plans capital investment of $0.96-$1.07 billion in fiscal 2026. Its systematic capital spending to strengthen its natural gas and oil operations is positively impacting total production.  Consistent Dividend-Paying HistoryNFG is not the only company with a long history of dividend distribution. Chevron Corporation CVX, Exxon Mobil XOM and Occidental Petroleum OXY are the other players from the same sector that have a long history of dividend payment.Chevron has been increasing shareholder value through consistent annual dividend hikes for 39 consecutive years. Currently, the company’s quarterly dividend is $1.78 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $7.12.CVX's dividend yield is 3.83%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Chevron's 2026 earnings is pegged at $15.88 per share, suggesting year-over-year growth of 117.83%.Exxon Mobil’s dividends per share have grown at an average annual rate of 5.8% over the last 43 years. The company’s board has approved a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $4.12. XOM's dividend yield is 2.81%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Exxon Mobil's 2026 earnings is pegged at $11.80 per share, suggesting year-over-year growth of 66.81%.Occidental Petroleum also has a long history of paying dividends. On Feb. 18, 2026, the board approved an 8% increase in the quarterly dividend to 26 cents per share, raising the annualized payout to $1.04 per share.OXY's dividend yield is 1.87%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Occidental Petroleum's 2026 earnings is pegged at $5.79 per share, suggesting year-over-year growth of 161.99%.NFG's Stock Price PerformanceIn the past month, the company’s shares have plunged 3.7% compared with the industry’s 1.8% fall.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchNFG’s Zacks RankNFG currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is HereThe AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.See Stocks Now >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks