EntryPoint Capital LLC Buys Shares of 14,134 Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. $NGS

Key Points

• EntryPoint Capital LLC invested approximately $311,000 in Natural Gas Services Group, acquiring 14,134 shares during the first quarter, representing 0.11% of the company.
• Natural Gas Services Group recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.10 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 1.5% and a payout ratio of 28.17%.
• Analysts have upgraded the stock rating of Natural Gas Services Group to "Strong Buy" with a consensus price target of $32.50, following recent positive earnings performance.

EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 14,134 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $311,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Natural Gas Services Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NGS. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 4,293.1% during the first 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 during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 31.5% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 6,022 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $161,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $217,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $241,000. Institutional investors own 65.62% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.25, for a total transaction of $525,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 413,334 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,850,017.50. This trade represents a 4.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jean K. Holley purchased 4,048 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $24.49 per share, with a total value of $99,135.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 4,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $99,135.52. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 7.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on NGS. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natural Gas Services Group has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.50.

Natural Gas Services Group Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:NGS traded up $0.53 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $25.91. 6,143 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 74,530. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.73 and a 1 year high of $29.74. The firm has a market cap of $324.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.16 and a beta of 0.66. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $25.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.48.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $41.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $41.87 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

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

Natural Gas Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. Natural Gas Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.17%.

About Natural Gas Services Group

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.