Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $24.46 and last traded at $24.4660, with a volume of 484832 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.48.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVGS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Navigator from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.33.

Navigator Trading Up 2.5%

The company’s 50-day moving average is $21.75 and its 200-day moving average is $21.28. The firm has a market cap of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.71.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The shipping company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.32. Navigator had a net margin of 22.80% and a return on equity of 10.45%. The firm had revenue of $167.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $139.46 million. On average, research analysts predict that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is 12.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Peter George Charles An Stokes sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total value of $101,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $140,134.80. This trade represents a 41.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.68, for a total transaction of $162,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $157,093.28. This trade represents a 50.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Manhattan CO. LLC. increased its position in Navigator by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,430,009 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $24,768,000 after purchasing an additional 311,259 shares during the period. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 62.7% in the 1st quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,034,216 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $19,991,000 after purchasing an additional 398,615 shares during the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 661,790 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $12,792,000 after purchasing an additional 108,467 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its position in shares of Navigator by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 455,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,889,000 after buying an additional 40,500 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Navigator by 109.1% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 402,079 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,772,000 after buying an additional 209,760 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Navigator Company Profile

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NVGS), doing business as Navigator Gas, is a maritime transportation company that owns and operates a fleet of gas carriers. The company specializes in the seaborne transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), petrochemical gases such as ethylene, and ammonia.

Navigator Gas serves energy, petrochemical and industrial-gas customers through international shipping routes. Its vessels are designed to transport liquefied gases in various cargo sizes and temperature conditions, supporting the movement of products between production centers, export terminals and regional markets worldwide.

In addition to its shipping operations, the company has interests in marine infrastructure connected with the handling and export of liquefied gases.