BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Upgraded at Clarkson Capital

Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report released on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BW LPG in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BW LPG Stock Performance

Shares of BWLP stock opened at $12.32 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.90. BW LPG has a one year low of $7.86 and a one year high of $16.60. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.47.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.19). BW LPG had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The firm had revenue of $279.98 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $242.92 million.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This is a positive change from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. BW LPG’s payout ratio is currently 77.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in BW LPG by 7.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,391,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,915,000 after buying an additional 239,578 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of BW LPG by 12.0% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 186,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,012,000 after acquiring an additional 19,901 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of BW LPG during the first quarter worth about $907,000. CW Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BW LPG in the 1st quarter worth about $391,000. Finally, Hartree Partners LP bought a new stake in BW LPG in the 1st quarter valued at about $991,000.

About BW LPG

BW LPG Limited, an investment holding company, engages in ship owning and chartering activities worldwide. The company operates through Shipping and Product Services segments. The company involved in the transportation of liquefied petroleum gas to oil companies, and trading and utility companies. It also offers integrated liquified petroleum gas (LPG) delivery services and support; wholesale and trade of LPG; and management services.