Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

Separately, Raymond James started coverage on Natural Gas Services Group in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. They set a “strong-buy” rating and a $27.00 target price for the company.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE NGS traded down $0.11 on Tuesday, hitting $24.33. 53,384 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 65,300. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $20.15 and a 200 day moving average of $20.54. Natural Gas Services Group has a twelve month low of $12.75 and a twelve month high of $25.24. The company has a market capitalization of $303.33 million, a P/E ratio of 22.95 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 14th. The oil and gas company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.05. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 5.53% and a net margin of 9.25%. The firm had revenue of $38.49 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.79 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.10 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Natural Gas Services Group will post 1.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 3,181 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.00, for a total value of $69,982.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 548,387 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,064,514. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.25% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natural Gas Services Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Natural Gas Services Group by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,148 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $595,000 after purchasing an additional 1,485 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 88,857 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,698,000 after acquiring an additional 4,422 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 18,070 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 557 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 100.7% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 77,220 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,554,000 after purchasing an additional 38,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 5.1% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 399,342 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,035,000 after purchasing an additional 19,543 shares in the last quarter. 65.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.