Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Rating Lowered to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

NVGS has been the topic of several other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Pareto Securities began coverage on shares of Navigator in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Navigator presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

Navigator Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVGS opened at $17.99 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Navigator has a 1 year low of $10.55 and a 1 year high of $18.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.53. The firm has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.42.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.36. The business had revenue of $153.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $133.84 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 17.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,677,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Navigator during the third quarter worth approximately $6,091,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Navigator during the second quarter worth approximately $4,773,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Navigator by 143.8% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 263,369 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,727,000 after purchasing an additional 155,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Credit Agricole S A bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the third quarter worth approximately $2,054,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Navigator

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).