Minerva Advisors LLC Sells 5,400 Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Minerva Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 306,212 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 5,400 shares during the quarter. Navigator comprises approximately 2.9% of Minerva Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Minerva Advisors LLC’s holdings in Navigator were worth $4,921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter valued at about $23,571,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Navigator by 32.8% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,442,150 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $25,146,000 after buying an additional 356,134 shares during the last quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Navigator during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,444,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Navigator by 361.3% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 207,039 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,615,000 after acquiring an additional 162,160 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NVGS shares. DNB Markets began coverage on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $21.60.

Navigator Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVGS opened at $16.19 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.33 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $15.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.36. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $13.85 and a fifty-two week high of $18.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. Navigator’s payout ratio is 17.70%.

Navigator Profile

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.