Ameriprise Financial Inc. Reduces Stake in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 492,594 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 86,979 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 3.94% of Natural Gas Services Group worth $13,202,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 76.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 34,548 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $660,000 after acquiring an additional 14,974 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Natural Gas Services Group by 195.2% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 31,362 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $840,000 after purchasing an additional 20,738 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at $1,001,000. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $890,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,733,000. 65.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NGS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $32.00 price objective (down previously from $33.00) on shares of Natural Gas Services Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Natural Gas Services Group from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th.

Natural Gas Services Group Price Performance

Shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock traded down $1.43 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $24.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 93,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 74,732. The company has a market cap of $300.83 million, a PE ratio of 18.76 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.76. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $20.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.08. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.70 and a 12-month high of $29.74.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.11. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 6.60% and a net margin of 10.55%. The company had revenue of $41.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.52 million. Analysts expect that Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 25,000 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total value of $622,500.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 433,334 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,790,016.60. The trade was a 5.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.08% of the company's stock.

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.