Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $3.59 Million Position in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. $NGS

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Natural Gas Services Group by 17.9%, holding a total of 163,473 shares valued at approximately $3.59 million.
• Natural Gas Services Group's board approved a $6 million stock buyback plan, indicating confidence in the stock's value as they believe it is undervalued.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.5% and a payout ratio of 28.17%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) by 17.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 163,473 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 24,853 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 1.31% of Natural Gas Services Group worth $3,591,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 266,508 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $7,142,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 370.4% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 136,748 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,004,000 after acquiring an additional 107,679 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Natural Gas Services Group by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 96,529 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,587,000 after buying an additional 4,384 shares during the last quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Natural Gas Services Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,458,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 34.3% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 46,404 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 11,856 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on NGS shares. Wall Street Zen raised Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" and an average price target of $32.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natural Gas Services Group

In other news, Director Jean K. Holley acquired 4,048 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $24.49 per share, with a total value of $99,135.52. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 4,048 shares in the company, valued at $99,135.52. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $525,000.00. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 5.08% of the company's stock.

Natural Gas Services Group Price Performance

Shares of NGS stock traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $26.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 34,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 62,097. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $25.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.50. The company has a market capitalization of $328.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.43 and a beta of 0.66. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $16.73 and a fifty-two week high of $29.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 11th. The oil and gas company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.09. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 7.21% and a net margin of 10.92%.The company had revenue of $41.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.87 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Natural Gas Services Group Announces Dividend

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

Natural Gas Services Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program 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 programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.