North American Construction Group Ltd. (NYSE:NOA) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• North American Construction Group Ltd. has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from four research firms, with ratings ranging from hold to strong buy.
• The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the last quarter, falling short of analysts' estimates of $0.66, despite revenue of $235.51 million, which exceeded expectations.
• Significant institutional investment activity has been noted, with 74.99% of the stock currently owned by institutional investors, indicating strong interest in the company.

Shares of North American Construction Group Ltd. (NYSE:NOA - Get Free Report) TSE: NOA have been given an average rating of "Hold" by the five ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation.

NOA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group downgraded North American Construction Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded North American Construction Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial downgraded North American Construction Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Cibc World Mkts downgraded North American Construction Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Securities downgraded North American Construction Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th.

North American Construction Group Stock Performance

Shares of NOA stock traded down $0.2350 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $12.2650. The company had a trading volume of 175,110 shares, compared to its average volume of 86,908. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $16.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.41. North American Construction Group has a 52-week low of $12.12 and a 52-week high of $22.08. The stock has a market cap of $370.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

North American Construction Group (NYSE:NOA - Get Free Report) TSE: NOA last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The oil and gas company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.42). North American Construction Group had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 17.15%. The company had revenue of $235.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $231.51 million. Research analysts anticipate that North American Construction Group will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

North American Construction Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $0.0872 dividend. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from North American Construction Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. North American Construction Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.23%.

Institutional Trading of North American Construction Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NOA. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of North American Construction Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $122,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in North American Construction Group by 16.7% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 10,307 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 1,474 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in North American Construction Group by 284.3% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 7,954 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 5,884 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in North American Construction Group during the second quarter worth $182,000. Finally, Tranquility Partners LLC raised its holdings in North American Construction Group by 4.4% during the first quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC now owns 15,584 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the last quarter. 74.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About North American Construction Group

North American Construction Group Ltd. provides mining and heavy civil construction services to customers in the resource development and industrial construction sectors in Australia, Canada, and the United States. The company operates Heavy Equipment - Canada, Heavy Equipment - Australia, and Other segments.