BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Shares of BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 411,433 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 1% from the previous session’s volume of 415,422 shares.The stock last traded at $23.55 and had previously closed at $24.21.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BWLP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Pareto Securities lowered BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Wall Street Zen cut BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded BW LPG from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Dnb Carnegie raised BW LPG from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BW LPG Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $21.28 and its 200-day moving average is $19.53. The firm has a market cap of $3.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.10 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, August 29th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.38). BW LPG had a net margin of 12.64% and a return on equity of 22.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $318.01 million.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $8.8914 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $35.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 149.0%. This is an increase from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $6.20. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.16%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in BW LPG during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of BW LPG during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in BW LPG during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new position in BW LPG during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new position in BW LPG in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $62,000.

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.