Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

Separately, Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $32.00 target price (down from $33.00) on shares of Natural Gas Services Group in a report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Natural Gas Services Group Trading Up 2.5 %

Natural Gas Services Group stock opened at $22.74 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $284.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.77 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $25.40 and a 200-day moving average of $23.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Natural Gas Services Group has a one year low of $16.70 and a one year high of $29.74.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $40.66 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $40.84 million. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 6.60% and a net margin of 10.55%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Natural Gas Services Group will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 19,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.80, for a total value of $558,720.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 438,387 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,625,545.60. This represents a 4.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 7.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natural Gas Services Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the 4th quarter worth about $5,733,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Natural Gas Services Group by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 229,294 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,145,000 after acquiring an additional 124,978 shares during the period. Crown Advisors Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,680,000. EAM Investors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,089,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,001,000. 65.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.