Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) has recently crossed above its 200-day moving average, with the stock trading at $25.39, signaling potential positive momentum.
• Wall Street analysts have upgraded their ratings on NGS, with a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" and an increased target price of $32.50.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share and announced a share buyback program worth $6 million, indicating confidence from the board in the stock's value.

Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $23.52 and traded as high as $25.52. Natural Gas Services Group shares last traded at $25.39, with a volume of 33,519 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NGS has been the subject of a number of research reports. 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 lifted their price objective on Natural Gas Services Group from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" and an average target price of $32.50.

Natural Gas Services Group Trading Down 4.2%

The firm has a market capitalization of $320.64 million, a PE ratio of 17.98 and a beta of 0.66. The company's 50-day moving average price is $25.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.97.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $41.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 expect 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. Natural Gas Services Group's payout ratio is 28.17%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Natural Gas Services Group

In other news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 20,000 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,850,017.50. The trade was a 4.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jean K. Holley acquired 4,048 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $24.49 per share, with a total value of $99,135.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $99,135.52. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 5.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natural Gas Services Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Natural Gas Services Group in the first quarter valued at $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,245 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 105.5% in the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,424 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 731 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming lifted its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 116.0% in the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,427 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 2,377 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group in the first quarter valued at about $115,000. 65.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.