Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Invests $332,000 in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. $NGS

Key Points

• Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Natural Gas Services Group, purchasing 15,131 shares valued at approximately $332,000 in the first quarter of the year.
• Natural Gas Services Group's board authorized a $6.00 million stock buyback program, indicating a belief that the company's shares are undervalued.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share, representing a 1.5% dividend yield for stockholders.

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 15,131 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $332,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Natural Gas Services Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,040 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc grew its stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 18,574 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $498,000 after acquiring an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calamos Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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. Institutional investors own 65.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.50.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:NGS traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $26.78. The stock had a trading volume of 46,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 47,562. 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 quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $25.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.49. The company has a market cap of $335.86 million, a P/E ratio of 18.86 and a beta of 0.57.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 11th. The oil and gas company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.09. Natural Gas Services Group had a net margin of 10.92% and a return on equity of 7.21%. The company had revenue of $41.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.87 million. On average, sell-side 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Natural Gas Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.17%.

Natural Gas Services Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Monday, August 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $6.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Natural Gas Services Group

In other Natural Gas Services Group news, Director Jean K. Holley bought 4,048 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $24.49 per share, for a total transaction of $99,135.52. Following the purchase, the director owned 4,048 shares of the company's stock, valued at $99,135.52. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 20,000 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.25, for a total value of $525,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 413,334 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,850,017.50. This represents a 4.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 36,842 shares of company stock valued at $983,221 in the last quarter. 5.08% of the stock is currently 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.