Millennium Management LLC Cuts Stake in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS)

Millennium Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) by 44.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 68,126 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 54,615 shares during the quarter. Millennium Management LLC owned approximately 0.55% of Natural Gas Services Group worth $1,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NGS. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,733,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 229,294 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $6,145,000 after acquiring an additional 124,978 shares in the last quarter. Crown Advisors Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,680,000. EAM Investors LLC bought a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,089,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,001,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.62% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natural Gas Services Group news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total value of $622,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 433,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,790,016.60. This represents a 5.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 5.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on NGS. Wall Street Zen upgraded Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $32.00 target price (down previously from $33.00) on shares of Natural Gas Services Group in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on 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 Stock Up 1.9%

NGS traded up $0.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $25.17. The stock had a trading volume of 73,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 74,956. The stock's 50 day moving average is $21.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $315.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.66 and a beta of 0.53. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $16.70 and a one year high of $29.74.

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

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.