Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $18.41 and last traded at $18.4040, with a volume of 373430 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $17.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on NVGS. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Pareto Securities started coverage on Navigator in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $17.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.18.

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

Navigator Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from Navigator’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in Navigator in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Navigator by 2,794.4% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Navigator in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator in the second quarter worth $47,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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).