BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BWLP. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BW LPG from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Clarkson Capital raised shares of BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Pareto Securities raised BW LPG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th.

Institutional Trading of BW LPG

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in BW LPG during the second quarter worth $52,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of BW LPG in the 2nd quarter valued at $57,000. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in shares of BW LPG in the 1st quarter valued at $65,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of BW LPG during the 2nd quarter worth about $81,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of BW LPG during the 1st quarter worth about $183,000.

BW LPG Stock Up 2.8%

BWLP opened at $25.74 on Friday. BW LPG has a 1-year low of $11.72 and a 1-year high of $26.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50 day moving average of $23.66 and a 200-day moving average of $20.74.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, August 29th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.17 by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $318.01 million. BW LPG had a return on equity of 22.48% and a net margin of 12.64%.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were given a NOK 8.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $35.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 138.2%. This is an increase from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of NOK 6.20. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio is 129.25%.

About BW LPG

BW LPG Ltd. (NYSE: BWLP) is a maritime transportation company focused on the international seaborne transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The company owns and operates very large gas carriers (VLGCs), which transport propane, butane and other LPG products between major production and consumption markets.

BW LPG provides shipping and related logistics services to energy companies, commodity traders and other customers worldwide. Its activities include vessel ownership and operation, commercial management, ship management and LPG transportation.