Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Monday morning.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Citigroup started coverage on Navigator in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a buy rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. DNB Markets initiated coverage on shares of Navigator in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a buy rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of Navigator from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Navigator Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of NVGS opened at $15.84 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $16.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.53 and a beta of 1.49. Navigator has a 12-month low of $13.72 and a 12-month high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $129.55 million for 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, research analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Navigator’s payout ratio is presently 17.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Navigator by 89.3% in the 1st quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 522,535 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $8,021,000 after purchasing an additional 246,505 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 539,538 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $8,282,000 after buying an additional 33,100 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Navigator by 108.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 70,256 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 36,571 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Navigator by 145.7% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,086,016 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $16,641,000 after purchasing an additional 644,011 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Navigator by 266.1% in the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 42,995 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $751,000 after acquiring an additional 31,250 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.