North American Construction Group (NYSE:NOA) Shares Gap Up to $20.79

North American Construction Group Ltd. (NYSE:NOA - Get Free Report) TSE: NOA shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $20.79, but opened at $21.37. North American Construction Group shares last traded at $21.37, with a volume of 7,620 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen upgraded shares of North American Construction Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of North American Construction Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 11th.

North American Construction Group Trading Down 0.7 %

The company has a market cap of $552.18 million, a P/E ratio of 13.24 and a beta of 1.53. The stock's 50-day moving average is $23.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

North American Construction Group (NYSE:NOA - Get Free Report) TSE: NOA last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The oil and gas company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.06. North American Construction Group had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 22.18%. The business had revenue of $239.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $229.31 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that North American Construction Group Ltd. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

North American Construction Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $0.074 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This is an increase from North American Construction Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. North American Construction Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UBS Group AG raised its position in North American Construction Group by 121.4% in the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,216 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,215 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of North American Construction Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. State of Tennessee Treasury Department bought a new stake in shares of North American Construction Group during the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of North American Construction Group by 114.5% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,831 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,511 shares during the period. Finally, Shell Asset Management Co. raised its position in shares of North American Construction Group by 142.3% during the 3rd quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,133 shares during the period. 74.99% of the stock is currently owned by 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.