Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Shares Purchased by Estabrook Capital Management

Estabrook Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 137,263 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,315 shares during the period. Estabrook Capital Management’s holdings in Navigator were worth $2,397,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVGS. Perkins Coie Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at $105,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at about $279,000. Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new position in Navigator during the 1st quarter valued at about $252,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 4th quarter worth about $319,000. Finally, Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 74.7% in the 1st 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Navigator Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVGS opened at $15.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 1.50. 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 has a fifty day moving average of $16.14 and a 200-day moving average of $16.12. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a one year low of $13.68 and a one year high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $129.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.92 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.35% and a net margin of 14.76%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Navigator’s payout ratio is 17.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on NVGS. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Citigroup began coverage on Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Clarkson Capital raised Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, DNB Markets began coverage on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.