11,407 Shares in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS) Purchased by XTX Topco Ltd

Key Points

• XTX Topco Ltd has purchased 11,407 shares of Natural Gas Services Group, valued at approximately $251,000, acquiring a 0.09% stake in the company.
• Natural Gas Services Group has authorized a $6.00 million stock repurchase plan, indicating management's belief that the company's shares are undervalued.
• The company will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share on August 22, reflecting an annualized yield of 1.6% and a payout ratio of 29.63%.

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 11,407 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $251,000. XTX Topco Ltd owned 0.09% of Natural Gas Services Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 266,508 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $7,142,000 after acquiring an additional 3,797 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 138,620 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,715,000 after acquiring an additional 16,654 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 96,529 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,587,000 after acquiring an additional 4,384 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group in the 1st quarter worth about $1,458,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Natural Gas Services Group by 34.3% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 46,404 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,244,000 after buying an additional 11,856 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.62% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total value of $622,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 433,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,790,016.60. This represents a 5.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 7.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Natural Gas Services Group from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Up 2.5%

NYSE NGS opened at $25.40 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $25.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.55. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $16.73 and a 12 month high of $29.74. The company has a market capitalization of $318.20 million, a P/E ratio of 18.81 and a beta of 0.66.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 11th. The oil and gas company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.09. Natural Gas Services Group had a net margin of 10.53% and a return on equity of 6.99%. The business had revenue of $41.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.87 million. Equities research analysts expect that Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Gas Services Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Monday, August 11th that allows the company to buyback $6.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the oil and gas company to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Natural Gas Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Natural Gas Services Group's payout ratio is currently 29.63%.

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.

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