Insider Selling: Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) Director Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock

Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS) Director Stephen Charles Taylor sold 10,000 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.31, for a total transaction of $303,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 325,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,863,843.92. The trade was a 2.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Stephen Charles Taylor also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, November 7th, Stephen Charles Taylor sold 11,152 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.06, for a total transaction of $324,077.12.
• On Thursday, November 6th, Stephen Charles Taylor sold 100 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.00, for a total value of $2,900.00.
• On Friday, September 26th, Stephen Charles Taylor sold 7,915 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.50, for a total value of $225,577.50.
• On Thursday, September 25th, Stephen Charles Taylor sold 759 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.50, for a total value of $21,631.50.
• On Wednesday, September 24th, Stephen Charles Taylor sold 1,326 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.50, for a total value of $37,791.00.
• On Tuesday, September 23rd, Stephen Charles Taylor sold 11,457 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.95, for a total value of $320,223.15.
• On Friday, September 19th, Stephen Charles Taylor sold 63 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total value of $1,732.50.
• On Thursday, September 18th, Stephen Charles Taylor sold 1,638 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total transaction of $45,045.00.
• On Wednesday, September 17th, Stephen Charles Taylor sold 6,553 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.51, for a total value of $180,273.03.
• On Tuesday, September 16th, Stephen Charles Taylor sold 289 shares of Natural Gas Services Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total value of $7,947.50.

Natural Gas Services Group Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE NGS traded down $0.48 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $30.51. 198,303 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 72,076. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $27.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $383.48 million, a P/E ratio of 21.49 and a beta of 0.59. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.73 and a 52-week high of $32.03.

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

Natural Gas Services Group declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Monday, August 11th that allows the company to repurchase $6.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the oil and gas company to purchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Natural Gas Services Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This is an increase from Natural Gas Services Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Natural Gas Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 29.73%.

Institutional Trading of Natural Gas Services Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 1.2% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 0.5% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 509,714 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $13,156,000 after acquiring an additional 2,424 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 361,571 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,120,000 after acquiring an additional 8,784 shares during the period. Cannell Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natural Gas Services Group by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cannell Capital LLC now owns 359,021 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,049,000 after acquiring an additional 27,405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Natural Gas Services Group by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 299,239 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,723,000 after purchasing an additional 15,550 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NGS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Natural Gas Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Natural Gas Services Group from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Natural Gas Services Group in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.50.

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.