Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Archrock, Inc. (NYSE:AROC)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Archrock, Inc. by 14.0% during the first quarter, owning approximately 1,036,020 shares worth around $27.2 million.
• Archrock announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.21 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.7% and an increase from the previous dividend of $0.19.
• Wall Street analysts have given Archrock a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $27.00, indicating positive outlook on the stock's future performance.

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in Archrock, Inc. (NYSE:AROC - Free Report) by 14.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,036,020 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 127,017 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.59% of Archrock worth $27,185,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its holdings in shares of Archrock by 34.4% in the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 55,528 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,457,000 after buying an additional 14,200 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Archrock by 13.2% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 8,030 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Archrock by 26.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,098 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 1,917 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Archrock by 53.9% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 27,402 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $725,000 after buying an additional 9,594 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Archrock during the first quarter valued at $522,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.45% of the company's stock.

Archrock Trading Up 1.3%

Archrock stock traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $22.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,029,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,571,971. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $24.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.20. Archrock, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.26 and a 12 month high of $30.44.

Archrock (NYSE:AROC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The energy company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.01. Archrock had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 18.31%. Archrock's revenue was up 41.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.23 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Archrock, Inc. will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

Archrock declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Monday, May 5th that allows the company to buyback $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the energy company to repurchase up to 1.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Archrock Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 5th. This is a positive change from Archrock's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Archrock's dividend payout ratio is presently 64.41%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jason Ingersoll sold 42,036 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.49, for a total transaction of $1,029,461.64. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 275,911 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,757,060.39. This represents a 13.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Sidoti raised shares of Archrock to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Archrock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $27.00.

Archrock Profile

Archrock, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy infrastructure company in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Contract Operations and Aftermarket Services. It engages in the designing, sourcing, owning, installing, operating, servicing, repairing, and maintaining of its owned fleet of natural gas compression equipment to provide natural gas compression services.