Northern Oil & Gas, Inc. (NOG) · Oct 13, 2026 · Guidance
Guidance reaffirmed — FY26 capex guide remains $850-$900M; Q3 spend estimated at $250-$253M
Northern Oil & Gas’ operational update shows faster oil-basin activity and continued buybacks, but large hedge losses offset the upside.
NOG is a scaled U.S. non-operated oil-and-gas platform that buys minority working interests across major basins, with its 2026 strategy focused on growing production while allocating capital toward oil-heavy opportunities. Its existing full-year 2026 plan called for $850-$900 million of capital spending.
The operating backdrop improved, but the company is not changing its financial plan. NOG closed 19 ground-game deals in the quarter, adding approximately 1,060 net acres and 2.8 net wells with roughly $56.5 million of associated acquisition and development spending. Nearly 85% of that capital went to the Permian, Williston, and Uinta basins, reinforcing the company’s preference for near-term oil production rather than a strategic pivot. (Operational update)
| Metric | Third-quarter update | Comparison / implication |
|---|---|---|
| Ground-game transactions | 19 deals | Added ~1,060 net acres and 2.8 net wells (Operational update) |
| Ground-game capital | ~$56.5 million | Acquisition costs and associated development capital (Operational update) |
| Q3 booked capital spending | ~$250.0-$253.0 million | Excludes non-budgeted acquisitions and other (Operational update) |
| FY2026 capital-expenditure guidance | $850-$900 million | Reaffirmed; spending expected toward the high end (Guidance update) |
| Unrealized derivative loss | ~$300-$320 million | Mark-to-market loss from portfolio-value changes (Hedging update) |
| Realized hedge loss | ~$51-$52 million | Oil hedge losses partly offset by gas and basis hedges (Hedging update) |
| Remaining buyback capacity | ~$227.2 million | After consideration for quarterly repurchases (Share repurchase update) |
Higher activity is pulling spending forward rather than expanding the budget. Third-quarter capital spending of $250-$253 million represents roughly 28%-30% of the unchanged annual range, and management expects fourth-quarter spending to decline absent significant non-budgeted activity. 〔0〕 The important change is operational momentum—not a raised outlook: NOG says it expects to finish toward the high end of its existing capex range, so the update is better than a slowdown but not a fresh earnings or growth upgrade.
The hedge book is the clearest offset. The quarter produced estimated realized hedge losses of $51-$52 million and much larger unrealized mark-to-market losses of $300-$320 million. These losses reflect the cost of oil hedges as prices rallied; the unrealized portion is an accounting revaluation rather than an immediate cash outflow, but the realized losses directly reduce the near-term benefit of stronger oil prices.
Shareholder returns remain intact, but this is mostly confirmation. The $150 million buyback authorization increase was announced in July and was therefore already known; the new detail is that approximately $227.2 million remained after quarterly repurchases. The update does not introduce a new dividend change or a larger authorization.
Bottom line: NOG’s operating story is improving as oil-basin activity accelerates, but the filing does not raise the growth plan and highlights substantial hedge-related drag. It is a mixed update: better field momentum, unchanged guidance, and less immediate upside from higher oil prices.
Third-quarter earnings release and call, November 6
A buy-side analyst on every ticker — it reads every public company's filing the instant it drops and decodes it into plain English.
A buy-side analyst on every ticker — the whole market decoded the second it moves, before it's a headline. Free gives you a taste. Pro takes the cap off and opens the full read on every company.
by Signing in NOW, claim your FREE 14-day Pro trial!