Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Natural Gas Services Group from “strong buy” to “hold,” though the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $50.50.
• NGS shares opened at $37.74, up 2.7%, with a 52-week range of $24.13 to $44.60 and a market capitalization of approximately $486.9 million.
• The company beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.47 in earnings per share versus the $0.40 consensus and revenue of $51.40 million versus estimates of $50.24 million; institutional investors own 65.62% of the stock.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

NGS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on shares of Natural Gas Services Group from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Natural Gas Services Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Natural Gas Services Group from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.50.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:NGS opened at $37.74 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $486.85 million, a P/E ratio of 23.44 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $39.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.96. Natural Gas Services Group has a 52-week low of $24.13 and a 52-week high of $44.60.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The oil and gas company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $51.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $50.24 million. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 8.10% and a net margin of 10.81%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Natural Gas Services Group will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natural Gas Services Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NGS. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Natural Gas Services Group in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Natural Gas Services Group in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $106,000. 65.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natural Gas Services Group Company Profile

Natural Gas Services Group, Inc NYSE: NGS is an energy infrastructure company specializing in natural gas distribution and compression services across the United States. The company operates two primary lines of business: the Distribution segment provides natural gas delivery to residential, commercial and industrial customers, while the Compression Services segment rents, sells and services a diversified fleet of compression equipment for midstream and industrial applications.

In its Distribution segment, Natural Gas Services Group engineers, constructs and maintains local pipeline networks, meters and related apparatus to ensure safe and reliable natural gas supply to municipal utilities and private customers.

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