XTX Topco Ltd Invests $251,000 in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS)

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 purchased a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Natural Gas Services Group during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC acquired a new position in Natural Gas Services Group during the 1st quarter worth about $1,458,000. Calamos Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Natural Gas Services Group by 20.1% during the 1st quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 12,504 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 2,095 shares in the last quarter. TrueWealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Natural Gas Services Group during the 1st quarter worth about $272,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Natural Gas Services Group by 4,293.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,274 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. 65.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Up 0.5%

NGS stock traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $24.47. The company had a trading volume of 95,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 56,007. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.97. The company has a market capitalization of $306.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.23 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.52. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $16.73 and a fifty-two week high of $29.74.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 11th. The oil and gas company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $41.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $41.87 million. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 7.21% and a net margin of 10.92%. Analysts forecast that Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Gas Services Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Natural Gas Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.17%.

Natural Gas Services Group announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Monday, August 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $6.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to buy up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on NGS. Wall Street Zen raised Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Natural Gas Services Group from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th.

Insider Transactions at Natural Gas Services Group

In related news, Director Jean K. Holley purchased 4,048 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $24.49 per share, with a total value of $99,135.52. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,048 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $99,135.52. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 5.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natural Gas Services Group 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.