Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New Investment in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 37,351 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,001,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.30% of Natural Gas Services Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Natural Gas Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $128,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 31.5% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 6,022 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $161,000 after buying an additional 1,443 shares in the last quarter. FCA Corp TX purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $188,000. Net Worth Advisory Group acquired a new position in Natural Gas Services Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Natural Gas Services Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.62% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NGS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natural Gas Services Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $32.00 price target (down previously from $33.00) on shares of Natural Gas Services Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NGS traded up $0.30 during trading on Friday, hitting $20.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 43,364 shares, compared to its average volume of 73,976. The company has a market capitalization of $255.41 million, a PE ratio of 15.95 and a beta of 0.53. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $16.70 and a fifty-two week high of $29.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.76. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $20.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.84.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.02. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 6.60% and a net margin of 10.55%. The company had revenue of $40.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $40.84 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

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.