StockNews.com Downgrades Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) to Sell

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

Separately, Raymond James assumed coverage on Natural Gas Services Group in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating and a $27.00 target price on the stock.

Natural Gas Services Group Price Performance

NGS opened at $24.21 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $301.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.84 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.57. Natural Gas Services Group has a 12-month low of $12.75 and a 12-month high of $25.24.

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

Insider Activity at Natural Gas Services Group

In other Natural Gas Services Group news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 3,181 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.00, for a total transaction of $69,982.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 548,387 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,064,514. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 13,158 shares of company stock valued at $303,350 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natural Gas Services Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Natural Gas Services Group by 129.1% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 6,325 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 3,564 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 54.7% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,647 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $165,000 after buying an additional 3,056 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group in the second quarter worth $208,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 2,513.0% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,072 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 11,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in Natural Gas Services Group in the third quarter worth about $261,000. 65.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.