Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $24.35 and traded as high as $27.35. Natural Gas Services Group shares last traded at $27.28, with a volume of 49,515 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Natural Gas Services Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natural Gas Services Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.50.

Natural Gas Services Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $342.12 million, a PE ratio of 19.21 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.97. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $26.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.35.

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 11th. The oil and gas company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $41.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $41.87 million. Natural Gas Services Group had a return on equity of 7.21% and a net margin of 10.92%. Equities analysts forecast that Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. will post 1.42 EPS for the current year.

Natural Gas Services Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Natural Gas Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.17%.

Natural Gas Services Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program 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 programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natural Gas Services Group

In other news, Director Jean K. Holley acquired 4,048 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $24.49 per share, for a total transaction of $99,135.52. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 4,048 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $99,135.52. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.25, for a total value of $525,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 413,334 shares in the company, valued at $10,850,017.50. This trade represents a 4.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 60,000 shares of company stock worth $1,635,221 over the last 90 days. 7.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natural Gas Services Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NGS. Cannell Capital LLC increased its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 279.3% in the second quarter. Cannell Capital LLC now owns 331,616 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $8,559,000 after buying an additional 244,193 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 370.4% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 136,748 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,004,000 after buying an additional 107,679 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 151.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 153,361 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,958,000 after buying an additional 92,444 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Natural Gas Services Group in the first quarter worth $1,458,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 133.2% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 91,243 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,355,000 after buying an additional 52,115 shares during the period. 65.62% of the stock is currently 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.