Alexander Newsom Darden Buys 5,000 Shares of Kodiak Gas Services (NYSE:KGS) Stock

Kodiak Gas Services, Inc. (NYSE:KGS) Director Alexander Newsom Darden acquired 5,000 shares of Kodiak Gas Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $54.75 per share, with a total value of $273,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $273,750. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Kodiak Gas Services Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of Kodiak Gas Services stock opened at $56.01 on Wednesday. Kodiak Gas Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.25 and a 1 year high of $58.50. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.49. The company has a market cap of $4.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.38 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12.

Kodiak Gas Services (NYSE:KGS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.13). Kodiak Gas Services had a net margin of 6.16% and a return on equity of 11.55%. The company had revenue of $332.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $330.95 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.21 earnings per share. Kodiak Gas Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Kodiak Gas Services, Inc. will post 1.12 EPS for the current year.

Kodiak Gas Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Kodiak Gas Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 225.29%.

Key Stories Impacting Kodiak Gas Services

Here are the key news stories impacting Kodiak Gas Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Two company directors made meaningful purchases (Randall J. Hogan bought 6,000 shares; Alexander N. Darden bought 5,000 shares), signaling confidence from the board and adding insider demand. Director Purchase Filing
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple sell-side firms have raised price targets and kept Buy/Outperform ratings (Goldman Sachs to $60, Barclays to $60, Citi to $63), which supports upside expectations and likely buoyed the stock. Analyst Coverage Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buyers have increased stakes recently (Principal, Rhumbline, Walleye and others), suggesting growing professional interest and providing structural demand for shares. Institutional Holdings Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Kodiak pays a $0.49 quarterly dividend (~3.6% yield), which attracts income buyers but the payout ratio is unusually high (225%), a potential long‑term concern for sustainability. Dividend Details
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/valuation context: the stock sits well above its 50- and 200-day moving averages and near its 52‑week high, supporting momentum-driven flows but also raising short-term profit‑taking risk. Stock Performance Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Senior executives have been selling: EVP Cory Anne Roclawski sold material blocks (e.g., 10,852 and earlier 21,161 shares) and CAO Ewan Hamilton sold multiple tranches (4,830 and 2,091 shares), reducing their positions significantly — insider selling can weigh on sentiment even when offset by director buys. EVP Sale Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Most recent quarter: revenue modestly beat consensus but EPS missed (reported $0.40 vs. $0.53 expected), which keeps near-term profit outlook uncertain and contributes to volatility. Quarterly Results

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on KGS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Kodiak Gas Services from $46.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup upped their price target on Kodiak Gas Services from $53.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays raised their price objective on Kodiak Gas Services from $49.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kodiak Gas Services in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Kodiak Gas Services from $36.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kodiak Gas Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Kodiak Gas Services by 1,850.0% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 703 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kodiak Gas Services by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the period. State of Wyoming raised its position in Kodiak Gas Services by 201.7% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,219 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Kodiak Gas Services by 1,501.3% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Kodiak Gas Services by 80.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 556 shares during the period. 24.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kodiak Gas Services Company Profile

Kodiak Gas Services, Inc operates contract compression infrastructure for customers in the oil and gas industry in the United States. It operates in two segments, Compression Operations and Other Services. The Compression Operations segment operates company-owned and customer-owned compression infrastructure to enable the production, gathering, and transportation of natural gas and oil. The Other Services segment provides a range of contract services, including station construction, maintenance and overhaul, and other ancillary time and material-based offerings.