Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Position Increased by First Eagle Investment Management LLC

First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 3.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 560,038 shares of the shipping company’s stock after buying an additional 20,500 shares during the quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Navigator were worth $9,778,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Perkins Coie Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter valued at about $105,000. Aristides Capital LLC bought a new position in Navigator during the first quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Navigator in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $319,000. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. grew its position in Navigator by 74.7% in the first quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 22,449 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 9,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MQS Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 62.8% during the 1st quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 26,285 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 10,142 shares during the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Navigator Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:NVGS opened at $16.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.19. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $16.16 and its 200-day moving average is $16.10. The company has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.79 and a beta of 1.50. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 52-week low of $13.68 and a 52-week high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $129.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.92 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.35% and a net margin of 14.76%. Equities research analysts predict that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. Navigator’s payout ratio is currently 17.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Clarkson Capital raised Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. DNB Markets began coverage on Navigator in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Navigator in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Navigator has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. engages in owning and operating a fleet of liquefied gas carriers worldwide. It provides international and regional seaborne transportation services of petrochemical gases, liquefied petroleum gases, and ammonia for energy companies, industrial users, and commodity traders. The company also offers ship shore infrastructure and consultancy services.