Northern Oil and Gas Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Decline Y/Y

Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. NOG reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share of $1.13, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.02. The outperformance reflects strong natural gas production. However, the bottom line declined from the year-ago adjusted profit of $1.37 due to weaker natural gas prices.

The Minnetonka, MN-based oil and gas exploration and production company reported oil and gas sales of $671 million, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $546 million. Moreover, the top line increased from the year-ago figure of $574 million, driven by higher oil price realization.

Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. Quote

On June 1, the company closed the Duvernay Light Oil Joint Development for total consideration of $262.1 million. During the quarter, NOG completed 30 ground game transactions, adding over 2,300 net acres and an additional 6.2 net wells for $44.7 million, which was inclusive of associated development costs.

During the second quarter, Northern Oil and Gas repurchased 2.95 million shares of common stock at an average price of $20.37, including commissions and increased the share repurchase authorization program to about $243 million.

NOG’s Q2 Production Details

The second-quarter production increased 9% year over year to 145,659 barrels of oil equivalent per day (Boe/d). Additionally, the figure beat our estimate of 143,105 Boe/d.

While oil volume totaled 68,275 Bopd (an 11% decrease year over year), natural gas (and natural gas liquids) amounted to 464,330 thousand cubic feet per day (a 35% increase). Our model estimate for oil volume and natural gas production was pegged at 71,300 Bopd and 415,800 thousand cubic feet per day, respectively.

The average sales price for crude was $90.02 per barrel, indicating a 54% increase from the prior-year quarter’s level of $58.37. Moreover, the figure beat our expectation of $69.40 per barrel.

The average realized natural gas price was $2.64 per thousand cubic feet compared with $2.89 in the year-earlier period. Our model estimate for the same was pinned at $2.32 per thousand cubic feet.

NOG’s Costs & Expenses

Total operating expenses in the quarter decreased to $392.7 million from $530.6 million in the year-ago period. This was mainly on account of a reduction in production expenses, legal settlement expense, depletion, depreciation, amortization and accretion expenses, impairment of oil and gas assets expenses, and other expenses. The metric was below our estimate of $400.1 million.

Capital Expenditures of NOG

The company reported capital expenditures of $195.8 million for the second quarter, excluding non-budgeted acquisitions and other unplanned items. Of this total, $151 million was dedicated to drilling and completion activities on organic assets, while $44.7 million was allocated to Ground Game efforts, including associated development costs.

During the second quarter, NOG placed 12.7 net wells into production.

NOG’s Financial Position

This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s free cash flow for the quarter totaled $159 million.

As of June 30, 2026, Northern Oil and Gas had $47.6 million in cash and cash equivalents. The company had a long-term debt of $2.7 billion, with a debt-to-capitalization of 57.7%.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Important Energy Earnings at a Glance

While we have discussed NOG’s second-quarter results in detail, let us take a look at three other key reports in the energy space.

U.S. energy operator APA Corporation APA reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.89 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.85. The bottom line rose from the year-ago adjusted profit of 87 cents. The outperformance was primarily driven by higher realized oil prices and lower year-over-year expenses.

Revenues of $2.4 billion were down 8.2% from the year-ago quarter’s sales and missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.5%, caused by a decrease in natural gas revenues.

As of June 30, APA had $444 million in cash and cash equivalents and $3.7 billion in long-term debt, representing a debt-to-capitalization of 34.8%.

Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation MGY reported a second-quarter 2026 net profit of 99 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 90 cents. The bottom line more than doubled from the year-ago quarter’s 43 cents. This outperformance can be attributed to higher oil and NGL prices and growth in overall production volumes.

The oil and gas exploration and production company’s total revenues were $479 million, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $440 million. The top line also increased 50.2% from $319 million recorded in the year-ago period, driven by higher revenues from oil and natural gas liquids (NGL).

As of June 30, 2026, Magnolia had cash and cash equivalents of $295.9 million. The company had long-term debt of $393.6 million, reflecting a debt-to-capitalization of 15.5%.

Permian Resources Corporation PR reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of 69 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 56 cents by 23.2%. The bottom line also increased significantly from the year-ago quarter’s adjusted earnings of 27 cents. This outperformance was primarily driven by higher oil and NGL price realizations.

The company’s oil and gas sales of $1.86 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.64 billion by 13.3%. Revenues also increased from the year-ago quarter’s $1.2 billion, aided by a higher year-over-year contribution from oil sales, NGL sales and purchased gas sales during the quarter.

As of June 30, 2026, PR had $131.7 million in cash and cash equivalents. The company had a long-term debt of approximately $3 billion, reflecting a debt-to-capitalization of 20%.

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