StockNews.com Upgrades Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) to Hold

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on NGS. Raymond James reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $32.00 target price (down from $33.00) on shares of Natural Gas Services Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Natural Gas Services Group from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th.

Natural Gas Services Group Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE NGS opened at $25.43 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $20.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.08. Natural Gas Services Group has a 52-week low of $16.70 and a 52-week high of $29.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $318.64 million, a P/E ratio of 19.87 and a beta of 0.53.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.11. Natural Gas Services Group had a net margin of 10.55% and a return on equity of 6.60%. The firm had revenue of $41.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $40.52 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Natural Gas Services Group will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natural Gas Services Group

In other news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total value of $622,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 433,334 shares in the company, valued at $10,790,016.60. This represents a 5.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 5.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natural Gas Services Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 76.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 34,548 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $660,000 after acquiring an additional 14,974 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $128,000. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $890,000. Calamos Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $279,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 93,354 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,502,000 after buying an additional 4,497 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.62% of the company's stock.

About Natural Gas Services Group

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.

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