StockNews.com Upgrades Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) to Hold

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

Separately, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $32.00 price objective (down from $33.00) on shares of Natural Gas Services Group in a report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Natural Gas Services Group Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NGS opened at $22.14 on Wednesday. Natural Gas Services Group has a fifty-two week low of $16.70 and a fifty-two week high of $29.74. The company has a market capitalization of $276.84 million, a PE ratio of 17.29 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $25.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.02. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 6.60% and a net margin of 10.55%. The business had revenue of $40.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.84 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Natural Gas Services Group will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natural Gas Services Group

In related news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 19,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.80, for a total transaction of $558,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 438,387 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,625,545.60. This represents a 4.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 7.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natural Gas Services Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NGS. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,148 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $595,000 after acquiring an additional 1,485 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in Natural Gas Services Group in the third quarter valued at about $261,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 54.7% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,647 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 3,056 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 129.1% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 6,325 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 3,564 shares during the period. Finally, PDT Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 64.3% in the third quarter. PDT Partners LLC now owns 16,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 6,567 shares in the last quarter. 65.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natural Gas Services Group Company Profile

Natural Gas Services Group, Inc provides natural gas compression equipment and services to the energy industry in the United States. It engineers and fabricates, operates, rents, and maintains natural gas compressors for oil and natural gas production and plant facilities. It also designs, fabricates, and assembles compressor units for rental or sale; and designs, manufactures, and sells a line of reciprocating natural gas compressor frames, cylinders, and parts.