StockNews.com Downgrades Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) to Hold

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Clarkson Capital upgraded Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Navigator in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Finally, DNB Markets assumed coverage on Navigator in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Navigator has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.00.

Navigator Stock Performance

NVGS stock opened at $16.37 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.99 and a beta of 1.50. Navigator has a 12-month low of $13.68 and a 12-month high of $18.18. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $16.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.15.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Navigator by 32.8% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,442,150 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $25,146,000 after buying an additional 356,134 shares in the last quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $23,571,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Navigator by 15.8% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 787,700 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $13,753,000 after acquiring an additional 107,300 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Navigator by 17.9% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 673,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $10,338,000 after acquiring an additional 102,224 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Navigator by 14.4% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 661,288 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $11,546,000 after acquiring an additional 83,344 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.