Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) Stock Price

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) had its target price boosted by Stifel Nicolaus from $32.00 to $33.00 in a research report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

NGS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. StockNews.com cut Natural Gas Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $32.00 price target (down previously from $33.00) on shares of Natural Gas Services Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Natural Gas Services Group Price Performance

NGS opened at $24.91 on Friday. Natural Gas Services Group has a 1 year low of $16.70 and a 1 year high of $29.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $20.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.97. The stock has a market cap of $311.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.11. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 6.60% and a net margin of 10.55%. The company had revenue of $41.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $40.52 million. Analysts forecast that Natural Gas Services Group will post 1.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total transaction of $622,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 433,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,790,016.60. The trade was a 5.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 5.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natural Gas Services Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Natural Gas Services Group by 4,293.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,274 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in Natural Gas Services Group by 116.0% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,427 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 2,377 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in Natural Gas Services Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $115,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Natural Gas Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $128,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.