Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) Rating Lowered to "Strong Sell" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Natural Gas Services Group from “hold” to “strong sell.” Weiss Ratings also cut its rating, from “buy” to “hold”; overall, analysts’ average rating remains “Hold,” with a $50.50 consensus price target.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.48, beating the $0.44 estimate, and revenue of $61.26 million, above the $56.43 million consensus forecast.
• Shares rose 1.7% to $29.60 in Thursday mid-day trading, but remained below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $32.60 and $37.15, respectively.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note issued on Thursday, Zacks reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Natural Gas Services Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.50.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE NGS traded up $0.49 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $29.60. 127,862 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 108,366. Natural Gas Services Group has a 1 year low of $26.39 and a 1 year high of $44.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $32.60 and a 200 day moving average of $37.15. The stock has a market cap of $382.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The oil and gas company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $61.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $56.43 million. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 9.80%. On average, research analysts expect that Natural Gas Services Group will post 1.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Natural Gas Services Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Natural Gas Services Group during the 2nd quarter worth $41,482,000. Weber Capital Management LLC ADV acquired a new position in Natural Gas Services Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $20,694,776. AWM Investment Company Inc. acquired a new position in Natural Gas Services Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $8,185,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Natural Gas Services Group by 137.1% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 163,791 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $5,304,000 after buying an additional 94,702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Natural Gas Services Group by 7.9% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 159,179 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $5,154,000 after buying an additional 11,596 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.62% of the company's stock.

Natural Gas Services Group Company Profile

Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. provides natural gas compression equipment and related services to oil and gas producers. Its business includes designing, fabricating, renting, selling, and maintaining compressor packages used to move natural gas from production sites into pipelines and processing facilities. The company also provides equipment such as flare systems and other production-related products. Its services support producers' compression and gas-handling needs across onshore oil and gas operations, primarily in the United States.

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