Natural Gas Services Group Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines (NGS)

Natural Gas Services Group Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE: NGS ) reported earnings on March 14. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Natural Gas Services Group beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded significantly. GAAP earnings per share expanded significantly.

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
Natural Gas Services Group reported revenue of $23.5 million. The four analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted sales of $20.0 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 26% higher than the prior-year quarter's $18.6 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.29. The five earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.23 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.29 for Q4 were 16% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.25 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 48.6%, 440 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 23.5%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 15.2%, 100 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $21.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.25.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $88.6 million. The average EPS estimate is $1.07.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 448 members out of 467 rating the stock outperform, and 19 members rating it underperform. Among 61 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 56 give Natural Gas Services Group a green thumbs-up, and five give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Natural Gas Services Group is buy, with an average price target of $19.20.

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Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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