Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) Given New $39.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) had its target price increased by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $33.00 to $39.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 38.74% from the stock’s previous close.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Natural Gas Services Group in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.50.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of NGS stock opened at $28.11 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $352.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80 and a beta of 0.59. Natural Gas Services Group has a one year low of $16.73 and a one year high of $30.73. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.97.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The oil and gas company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.13. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 7.21% and a net margin of 10.92%.The firm had revenue of $43.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.25 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Natural Gas Services Group will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Gas Services Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, August 11th that permits the company to buyback $6.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the oil and gas company to purchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natural Gas Services Group

In other Natural Gas Services Group news, Director Jean K. Holley bought 3,752 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $26.58 per share, for a total transaction of $99,728.16. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 7,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,324. This trade represents a 92.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 11,152 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.06, for a total value of $324,077.12. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 364,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,583,070.80. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,252 shares of company stock valued at $1,962,198. 7.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natural Gas Services Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NGS. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group in the third quarter worth approximately $243,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 611,653 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $17,120,000 after buying an additional 7,345 shares during the period. State of Wyoming boosted its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 135.0% during the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,313 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 5,350 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 30.4% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 14,891 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 3,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acuitas Investments LLC grew its stake in Natural Gas Services Group by 8.2% in the third quarter. Acuitas Investments LLC now owns 216,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,065,000 after purchasing an additional 16,500 shares in the last quarter. 65.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.