HighTower Advisors LLC Makes New $254,000 Investment in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. $NGS

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC made a new investment of approximately $254,000 in Natural Gas Services Group, acquiring 11,581 shares during the first quarter.
• Analysts have upgraded Natural Gas Services Group's stock rating to a "hold" and raised its target price to $33.00, indicating growing confidence in the company's prospects.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share and initiated a stock repurchase program allowing for the buyback of up to $6 million worth of shares, signaling belief in its value and performance.

HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 11,581 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $254,000. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.09% of Natural Gas Services Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,040 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc increased its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 18,574 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $498,000 after acquiring an additional 697 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 4,293.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,274 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in Natural Gas Services Group by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 18,716 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $502,000 after purchasing an additional 1,415 shares in the last quarter. 65.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Strong Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.50.

Natural Gas Services Group Price Performance

NYSE:NGS traded down $0.43 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $26.07. 23,213 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 73,541. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $16.73 and a twelve month high of $29.74. The firm has a market cap of $326.92 million, a PE ratio of 18.36 and a beta of 0.57. The stock's 50-day moving average is $25.04 and its 200-day moving average is $23.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $41.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.87 million. Natural Gas Services Group had a net margin of 10.92% and a return on equity of 7.21%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Gas Services Group announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, August 11th that permits the company to repurchase $6.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the oil and gas company to buy up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Natural Gas Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. Natural Gas Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.17%.

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.