Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $20.22 and last traded at $19.99, with a volume of 231442 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $19.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on NVGS shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated 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 Navigator in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Down 1.9%

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $18.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.01. The stock has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in Navigator by 1,124.1% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,677 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,540 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 2,794.4% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the second quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in Navigator during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).