BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 276,185 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the previous session’s volume of 308,129 shares.The stock last traded at $12.7690 and had previously closed at $13.10.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BWLP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BW LPG in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Clarkson Capital raised shares of BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BW LPG Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.49.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $279.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $242.92 million. BW LPG had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 4.57%.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This is an increase from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.5%. BW LPG’s payout ratio is currently 141.59%.

Institutional Trading of BW LPG

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BWLP. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in BW LPG during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of BW LPG during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in shares of BW LPG during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Optiver Holding B.V. raised its position in shares of BW LPG by 99.3% during the 3rd quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 4,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 2,263 shares during the period. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in BW LPG by 24.6% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 7,086 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter.

About BW LPG

BW LPG (NYSE: BWLP) is a pure‐play owner and operator of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. The company’s core business centers on the maritime transportation of LPG, predominantly propane and butane, under both time‐ and voyage‐charter arrangements. Its fleet comprises pressurized and semi‐refrigerated vessels designed to meet the specific requirements of LPG producers, traders and end‐users around the world.

Headquartered in Singapore, BW LPG serves a global customer base, with commercial offices in key energy hubs including Houston, London, Dubai and Tokyo.