Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $23.3333.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NVGS. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Navigator from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.68, for a total value of $162,600.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $157,093.28. The trade was a 50.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Peter George Charles An Stokes sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $140,134.80. This trade represents a 41.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Navigator by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 553,323 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $9,584,000 after purchasing an additional 131,351 shares during the last quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. grew 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 buying an additional 311,259 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Navigator by 109.1% in the first 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 last quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Navigator by 62.7% in the first quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,034,216 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $19,991,000 after buying an additional 398,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter valued at $3,108,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Navigator Stock Performance

Shares of NVGS stock opened at $24.52 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.62. Navigator has a 12-month low of $14.08 and a 12-month high of $24.92. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.47.

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

Navigator Announces Dividend

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

About Navigator

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.