Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Rating 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 Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a buy rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a buy rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Clarkson Capital upgraded Navigator from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $20.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd.

Navigator Price Performance

Navigator stock opened at $15.05 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $16.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.08. Navigator has a 12 month low of $13.61 and a 12 month high of $18.18. The company has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03 and a beta of 1.50.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $129.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.92 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Navigator will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Navigator’s payout ratio is currently 17.09%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hodges Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Navigator by 89.3% during the first quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 522,535 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $8,021,000 after purchasing an additional 246,505 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Navigator by 6.5% in 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. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Navigator by 145.7% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,086,016 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $16,641,000 after buying an additional 644,011 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in Navigator by 17.9% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 673,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,338,000 after acquiring an additional 102,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 13.5% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 29,884 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $459,000 after acquiring an additional 3,546 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

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.