National Fuel Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Earnings
WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y., July 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National Fuel Gas Company (“National Fuel” or the “Company”) (NYSE:NFG) today announced consolidated results for the third quarter of its 2026 fiscal year.
THIRD QUARTER FISCAL 2026 SUMMARY
MANAGEMENT COMMENTS
David P. Bauer, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Fuel Gas Company, stated: “Looking forward, with the growing demand for natural gas, the outlook for the industry and National Fuel is as strong as ever. Over the last several years, we have consistently enhanced the quality of our asset base, improved capital efficiency, and expanded our long-term growth opportunities through disciplined execution across the Company. Whether it is expanding our pipelines to serve new data center or power generation demand in the region, or producing gas supply to meet growing demand in Appalachia and across markets served by our high-quality firm transportation portfolio, our ability to benefit from these industry tailwinds is evident. In addition, our pending Ohio gas utility acquisition, once completed, will significantly increase rate base for our regulated businesses and provides an additional avenue for meaningful regulated earnings growth.
"With this strong backdrop, National Fuel is expected to deliver approximately 7% to 10% average annual EPS growth through 2029. This growth alongside our disciplined capital allocation strategy and focus on returning an increasing amount of capital to shareholders through our long-standing dividend, positions National Fuel to deliver sustainable long-term value for shareholders."
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP EARNINGS TO ADJUSTED EARNINGS
FISCAL 2026 GUIDANCE UPDATE
National Fuel is revising its adjusted earnings per share guidance for fiscal 2026 to a range of $7.40 to $7.60. This updated range incorporates our third quarter results as well as lower expected production for the remaining three months, partially offset by lower unit costs in the Integrated Upstream and Gathering segment. The Company is maintaining an average NYMEX natural gas price assumption of $3.00 per MMBtu for the remaining three months of fiscal 2026, which approximates the current NYMEX forward curve at this time.
Integrated Upstream and Gathering segment fiscal 2026 production is now expected to be 420 to 430 Bcf, a moderate decrease from our prior guidance, primarily reflecting the combined impact of ongoing appraisal activities and greater than anticipated well interactions related to more intensive completion design testing. While these activities affected near-term production, they will allow for further optimization of future development planning and capital allocation decisions and are not expected to impact the outlook for long-term production growth and continued improvement in capital efficiency. This guidance range also does not incorporate any price-related curtailments over the remainder of the fiscal year.
The Company is also revising its Integrated Upstream and Gathering segment capital expenditure guidance to a range of $580 to $605 million, a 2% increase at the midpoint, largely as a result of higher oil and diesel prices, as well as schedule changes. In addition, this segment has implemented a new discretionary land acquisition spending program, which is expected to lead to an additional $20 to $40 million in spending outside of the aforementioned capital spending guidance. This discretionary program represents a strategic investment to expand core inventory depth in Tioga County and strengthen what the Company believes is one of the premier natural gas resource positions in North America. Over the next two years, the Company expects to invest $100 to $200 million of discretionary land capital to extend development runway, increase long-term development optionality, and support future capital efficiency improvements.
In addition, the Company is also revising its capital expenditure guidance in the Pipeline and Storage segment, which is now expected to be between $235 to $265 million. This increase is driven by the strong execution on our various modernization and expansion projects for this calendar year, several of which are proceeding at a quicker pace than previously anticipated.
The acquisition of CenterPoint Energy's Ohio natural gas utility business is expected to close on October 1 of this year. As a result, this is not expected to impact fiscal 2026 guidance, which also excludes any financing or acquisition-related costs.
The Company’s other fiscal 2026 guidance assumptions are detailed in the table on page 7.
LONG-TERM OUTLOOK
National Fuel plans to provide detailed fiscal 2027 guidance after the closing of the Ohio utility acquisition, which is on track to occur on October 1 of this year.
The Company is also updating its long-term earnings per share outlook, which it now expects to be 7% to 10% per year, on average from fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2029, using the current natural gas price outlook. In addition to significant per-share earnings growth driven by strong outlooks in each segment, the Company anticipates leveraging its best-in-class capital efficiency trend to generate between $1.0 and $1.5 billion of free cash flow over the next three years. The combination of significant earnings growth, a more balanced business mix following the closing of the Ohio utility acquisition, and strong free cash flow generation is expected to provide increased flexibility to allocate capital in ways that maximize per share value over the long-term. This free cash flow is projected to be utilized to reduce outstanding debt, which will further strengthen the Company's investment grade balance sheet, and support strategic investments and other opportunities to enhance shareholder returns beyond the 7% to 10% target.
FINANCING ACTIVITIES UPDATE
In June 2026, the Company issued $1.5 billion of new three-, five-, and ten-year notes (split into three equal tranches) to fund a portion of the CenterPoint acquisition and refinance the early redemption of $300 million of notes that were scheduled to mature in October 2026. In conjunction with these transactions, the Company recognized an after-tax loss of $0.3 million related to the early redemption of the October 2026 maturity, which is presented as an item impacting comparability for the quarter.
DISCUSSION OF THIRD QUARTER RESULTS BY SEGMENT
The following earnings discussion of each operating segment for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 is summarized in a tabular form on pages 8 and 9 of this report (earnings drivers for the nine months ended June 30, 2026 are summarized on pages 10 and 11).
Note that management defines adjusted earnings as reported GAAP earnings adjusted for items impacting comparability, and adjusted EBITDA as reported GAAP earnings before the following items: interest expense, income taxes, depreciation, depletion and amortization, other income and deductions, impairments, and other items reflected in operating income that impact comparability.
Integrated Upstream and Gathering Segment
The Integrated Upstream and Gathering segment's exploration and production operations are carried out by Seneca Resources Company, LLC (“Seneca”) and its gathering operations are carried out by the operating subsidiaries of National Fuel Gas Midstream Company, LLC ("Gathering"). Seneca explores for, develops, and produces primarily natural gas reserves in Pennsylvania. Gathering constructs, owns and operates natural gas gathering pipelines and compression facilities in the Appalachian region, which primarily delivers Seneca's production and, to a lesser extent, third-party Appalachian production to various interstate pipelines.
The Integrated Upstream and Gathering segment's third quarter GAAP earnings decreased $4.8 million versus the prior year. Excluding items impacting comparability, adjusted earnings decreased $4.5 million from the prior year, as the benefit of higher realized natural gas prices and lower interest expense was more than offset by lower production volumes and higher operating expenses.
Seneca’s weighted average realized natural gas price, after the impact of hedging and transportation costs, was $2.81 per Mcf, an increase of $0.10 per Mcf, or 4%, compared to the prior year, as gains in Seneca's hedging portfolio and tighter basis differentials more than offset lower NYMEX prices during the quarter.
During the third quarter, Seneca produced 104.3 Bcf of natural gas, a decrease of 7.3 Bcf, or 7%, compared to the prior year, as production from recently turned-in-line wells was more than offset by natural declines from existing wells.
On a per unit basis, third quarter adjusted total operating costs were $0.14 higher compared to the prior year, primarily due to higher per unit LOE and DD&A expense. Consistent with previous quarters this fiscal year, the increase in per unit LOE compared to the prior year was largely driven by additional third-party gathering expenses. The increase in DD&A expense was largely driven by the impact of ceiling test impairments Seneca recorded in fiscal 2025 that artificially lowered the per unit DD&A rate in the prior year.
Pipeline and Storage Segment
The Pipeline and Storage segment’s operations are carried out by National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation (“Supply Corporation”) and Empire Pipeline, Inc. (“Empire”). The Pipeline and Storage segment provides natural gas transportation and storage services to affiliated and non-affiliated companies through an integrated system of pipelines and underground natural gas storage fields in western New York and Pennsylvania.
The Pipeline and Storage segment’s third quarter GAAP earnings were in line with the prior year as an increase in operating revenues was offset by higher O&M and DD&A.
Operating revenues increased $1.0 million, primarily driven by higher transportation revenues related to new long-term contracts. O&M expense increased $1.2 million, primarily due to higher third-party and material costs.
Utility Segment
The Utility segment operations are carried out by National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation (“Distribution Corporation”), which sells or transports natural gas to customers located in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania.
The Utility segment’s third quarter GAAP earnings increased $0.7 million, primarily as a result of higher customer margin (operating revenue less purchased gas sold) of $6.0 million. Contributors to increased customer margin included the implementation of year two of the three-year joint settlement in New York and revenue from the Utility’s Distribution System Improvement Charge in Pennsylvania. Partially offsetting this was an increase in O&M expense driven by higher employee-related costs (which were largely the result of new collective bargaining agreements) and an increase in uncollectible expense.
Corporate and All Other
The Company’s operations that are included in Corporate and All Other generated a combined net loss of $7.7 million in the third quarter, largely due to transaction and financing costs related to the pending Ohio gas utility acquisition.
EARNINGS TELECONFERENCE
A conference call to discuss the results will be held on Thursday, July 30, 2026, at 9 a.m. ET. All participants must pre-register to join this conference using the Participant Registration link. A webcast link to the conference call is provided under the Events Calendar on the NFG Investor Relations website at investor.nationalfuelgas.com, and a replay of the webcast will be available on the website following the call.
National Fuel is an integrated energy company reporting financial results for three operating segments: Integrated Upstream and Gathering, Pipeline and Storage, and Utility. Additional information about National Fuel is available at www.nationalfuel.com.
Certain statements contained herein, including statements identified by the use of the words “anticipates,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “believes,” “seeks,” “will,” “may” and similar expressions, and statements which are other than statements of historical facts, are “forward-looking statements” as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. The Company’s expectations, beliefs and projections contained herein are expressed in good faith and are believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that such expectations, beliefs or projections will result or be achieved or accomplished. In addition to other factors, the following are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements: changes in laws, regulations or judicial interpretations to which the Company is subject, including those involving derivatives, taxes, safety, employment, climate change, other environmental matters, real property, and exploration and production activities such as hydraulic fracturing; governmental/regulatory actions, initiatives and proceedings, including those involving rate cases (which address, among other things, target rates of return, rate design, retained natural gas and system modernization), environmental/safety requirements, affiliate relationships, industry structure, and franchise renewal; changes in economic conditions, including the imposition of additional tariffs on U.S. imports and related retaliatory tariffs, inflationary pressures, supply chain issues, liquidity challenges, and global, national or regional recessions, and their effect on the demand for, and customers’ ability to pay for, the Company’s products and services; the Company’s ability to complete strategic transactions, such as the planned CenterPoint Ohio acquisition, including receipt of required regulatory clearances and satisfaction of other conditions to closing, and to recognize the anticipated benefits of such transactions; governmental/regulatory actions and/or market pressures to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas; the Company’s ability to estimate accurately the time and resources necessary to meet emissions targets; changes in the price of natural gas; impairments under the SEC’s full cost ceiling test for natural gas reserves; the creditworthiness or performance of the Company’s key suppliers, customers and counterparties; financial and economic conditions, including the availability of credit, and occurrences affecting the Company’s ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms for working capital, capital expenditures, other investments, and acquisitions, including any downgrades in the Company’s credit ratings and changes in interest rates and other capital market conditions; negotiations with the collective bargaining units representing the Company’s workforce, including potential work stoppages during negotiations; changes in price differentials between similar quantities of natural gas sold at different geographic locations, and the effect of such changes on commodity production, revenues and demand for pipeline transportation capacity to or from such locations; the impact of information technology disruptions, cybersecurity or data security breaches, including the impact of issues that may arise from the use of artificial intelligence technologies; factors affecting the Company’s ability to successfully identify, drill for and produce economically viable natural gas reserves, including among others geology, lease availability and costs, title disputes, weather conditions, water availability and disposal or recycling opportunities of used water, shortages, delays or unavailability of equipment and services required in drilling operations, insufficient gathering, processing and transportation capacity, the need to obtain governmental approvals and permits, and compliance with environmental laws and regulations; increased costs or delays or changes in plans with respect to Company projects or related projects of other companies, as well as difficulties or delays in obtaining necessary governmental approvals, permits or orders or in obtaining the cooperation of interconnecting facility operators; increasing health care costs and the resulting effect on health insurance premiums and on the obligation to provide other post-retirement benefits; other changes in price differentials between similar quantities of natural gas having different quality, heating value, hydrocarbon mix or delivery date; the cost and effects of legal and administrative claims against the Company or activist shareholder campaigns to effect changes at the Company; uncertainty of natural gas reserve estimates; significant differences between the Company’s projected and actual production levels for natural gas; changes in demographic patterns and weather conditions (including those related to climate change); changes in the availability, price or accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments; changes in laws, actuarial assumptions, the interest rate environment and the return on plan/trust assets related to the Company’s pension and other post-retirement benefits, which can affect future funding obligations and costs and plan liabilities; economic disruptions or uninsured losses resulting from major accidents, fires, severe weather, natural disasters, terrorist activities or acts of war, as well as economic and operational disruptions due to third-party outages; significant differences between the Company’s projected and actual capital expenditures and operating expenses; or increasing costs of insurance, changes in coverage and the ability to obtain insurance. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date thereof.
As discussed on page 2, the Company is revising its adjusted earnings per share guidance for fiscal 2026. Additional details on the Company's forecast assumptions and business segment guidance are outlined in the table below. The acquisition of CenterPoint Energy's Ohio natural gas utility business still is expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar 2026, as previously planned. As a result, this is not expected to impact fiscal 2026 guidance, which also excludes any financing or acquisition-related costs. Fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings per share guidance also excludes after-tax financing and acquisition related costs during the nine months ended June 30, 2026, which reduced earnings by $0.30 per share, and expected financing and acquisition related costs during the three months ending September 30, 2026.
The revised adjusted earnings per share guidance range also excludes certain items that impacted the comparability of adjusted operating results during the nine months ended June 30, 2026, including after-tax unrealized losses on other investments, which increased earnings by less than $0.01 per share. While the Company expects to record certain adjustments to unrealized gain or loss on investments during the remaining three months ending September 30, 2026, the amounts of these and other potential adjustments are not reasonably determinable at this time. As such, the Company is unable to provide earnings guidance other than on a non-GAAP basis.
(1) Integrated Upstream and Gathering Capital Expenditures exclude $20 to $40 million of discretionary land spending.
(2) Customer Margin is defined as Operating Revenues less Purchased Gas Expense.
In addition to financial measures calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this press release contains information regarding adjusted earnings, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow, which are non-GAAP financial measures. The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors because they provide an alternative method for assessing the Company's ongoing operating results or liquidity and for comparing the Company’s financial performance to other companies. The Company's management uses these non-GAAP financial measures for the same purpose, and for planning and forecasting purposes. The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures is not meant to be a substitute for financial measures in accordance with GAAP.
Management defines adjusted earnings as reported GAAP earnings before items impacting comparability. The following table reconciles National Fuel's reported GAAP earnings to adjusted earnings for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025:
Management defines adjusted EBITDA as reported GAAP earnings before the following items: interest expense, income taxes, depreciation, depletion and amortization, other income and deductions, impairments, and other items reflected in operating income that impact comparability. The following tables reconcile National Fuel's reported GAAP earnings to adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025:
Management defines free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities, less net cash used in investing activities, adjusted for acquisitions and divestitures. The following table reconciles National Fuel's free cash flow to Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the nine months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025:
The Company is unable to provide a reconciliation of any projected free cash flow measure to its comparable GAAP financial measure without unreasonable efforts. This is due to an inability to calculate the comparable GAAP projected metrics, including operating income and total production costs, given the unknown effect, timing, and potential significance of certain income statement items.