Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price objective on the stock. Pareto Securities started coverage on shares of Navigator in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.50.

Navigator Price Performance

Shares of NVGS stock opened at $17.93 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $17.52 and its 200 day moving average is $16.37. Navigator has a 1-year low of $10.55 and a 1-year high of $18.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.87, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.42.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.36. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 17.85%.The firm had revenue of $153.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $133.84 million. Research analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were given a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. This is a boost from Navigator’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 25th. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.54%.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in shares of Navigator by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 37,394 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $579,000 after acquiring an additional 1,334 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its position in Navigator by 8.0% during the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 18,194 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,353 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Navigator by 1.4% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 132,508 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,875,000 after purchasing an additional 1,892 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Navigator by 2,794.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator Company Profile

Navigator Holdings Ltd. is a global shipping company specializing in the seaborne transportation of liquefied gases. The company’s fleet is purpose-built to carry a range of petrochemical gases, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, propylene and ammonia. Navigator’s vessels are designed to meet the stringent safety and environmental standards required for handling pressurized and refrigerated gases, offering flexible capacity to customers across the energy and chemical sectors.

Navigator operates one of the largest and most modern fleets of gas carriers in the industry, with vessels ranging from fully pressurized gas carriers to specialized very large ethane carriers (VLECs).