Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the four ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $27.00.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th.

Navigator Price Performance

Shares of NVGS opened at $19.49 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $22.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.17. The company has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.38. Navigator has a fifty-two week low of $16.82 and a fifty-two week high of $25.48.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The shipping company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. Navigator had a return on equity of 10.43% and a net margin of 30.06%. The business had revenue of $155.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $132.87 million. Research analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 17th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 17th. This is a positive change from Navigator’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.52%.

Insider Transactions at Navigator

In other Navigator news, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.68, for a total value of $162,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $157,093.28. This represents a 50.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Peter George Charles An Stokes sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total transaction of $101,400.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $140,134.80. The trade was a 41.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NVGS. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $19,991,000 after acquiring an additional 398,615 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Navigator by 109.1% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 402,079 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,772,000 after purchasing an additional 209,760 shares in the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Navigator by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 661,790 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $12,792,000 after purchasing an additional 108,467 shares during the last quarter. Monashee Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Navigator in the 1st quarter valued at $1,450,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,145,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd., operating under the name Navigator Gas, is a maritime transportation company that owns and operates a fleet of specialized gas carriers. The company transports liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), petrochemical gases such as ethylene and ethane, ammonia and other liquefied gases for energy, industrial and chemical customers.

Its fleet includes semi-refrigerated and fully pressurized vessels, as well as ethylene-capable carriers designed to handle cargoes requiring specialized containment and temperature controls.