66,350 Shares in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS) Purchased by Rice Hall James & Associates LLC

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC bought a new stake in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 66,350 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,458,000. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC owned about 0.53% of Natural Gas Services Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 6,022 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $161,000 after buying an additional 1,443 shares in the last quarter. FCA Corp TX bought a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $188,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group in the 4th quarter worth $217,000. 65.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NGS traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $24.20. The stock had a trading volume of 20,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 78,197. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $16.70 and a 12 month high of $29.74. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.98. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $303.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93 and a beta of 0.66.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.11. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 6.99% and a net margin of 10.53%. The business had revenue of $41.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $40.52 million. Equities research analysts predict that Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natural Gas Services Group news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total transaction of $622,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 433,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,790,016.60. This trade represents a 5.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on NGS shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report 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 report on Friday, May 16th.

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.