Royce & Associates LP Sells 32,995 Shares of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS)

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP sold 32,995 shares of Natural Gas Services Group, reducing their stake by 13.6%, leaving them with 209,848 shares valued at approximately $4.6 million.
• The latest quarterly earnings report indicated earnings per share of $0.38, exceeding forecasts, with revenues of $41.38 million compared to expectations of $40.52 million.
• Several analysts recently increased their target price for Natural Gas Services Group, with Stifel Nicolaus raising it from $32.00 to $33.00 and issuing a "buy" rating.

Royce & Associates LP trimmed its position in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) by 13.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 209,848 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 32,995 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 1.68% of Natural Gas Services Group worth $4,610,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,245 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 6,022 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $161,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $217,000. Finally, ExodusPoint Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $240,000. 65.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total value of $622,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 433,334 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,790,016.60. This trade represents a 5.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 5.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE NGS traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $24.08. The company had a trading volume of 10,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 76,109. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $16.70 and a twelve month high of $29.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $301.66 million, a PE ratio of 17.84 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's 50 day moving average is $25.09 and its 200-day moving average is $23.82.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $41.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.52 million. Natural Gas Services Group had a net margin of 10.53% and a return on equity of 6.99%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Gas Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%.

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.