Brokerages Set Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Price Target at $21.50

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.50.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Pareto Securities began coverage on shares of Navigator in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 15th.

Navigator Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE NVGS opened at $18.63 on Thursday. Navigator has a 1-year low of $10.55 and a 1-year high of $21.36. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $19.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The shipping company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $152.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $136.15 million. Navigator had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 6.35%. Equities research analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 23rd. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.92%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Navigator by 16.4% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 542,756 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,224,000 after acquiring an additional 76,287 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Navigator by 18.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 50,885 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $677,000 after acquiring an additional 7,777 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Navigator by 674.7% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 85,843 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,143,000 after acquiring an additional 74,762 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,677,000. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new position in shares of Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $100,000. 18.95% of the stock is 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).