Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 98,000 shares, a decline of 31.4% from the February 13th total of 142,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 192,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $21.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NVGS. Wexford Capital LP raised its position in shares of Navigator by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. Wexford Capital LP now owns 85,425 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,311,000 after acquiring an additional 22,857 shares during the period. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in Navigator by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 34,143 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 6,244 shares during the period. Man Group plc boosted its position in Navigator by 159.9% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 203,441 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,123,000 after purchasing an additional 125,178 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new stake in Navigator in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $554,000. Finally, First Manhattan CO. LLC. increased its position in shares of Navigator by 25.1% in the fourth quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,034,596 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $15,881,000 after buying an additional 207,851 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Navigator Stock Up 2.4 %

NYSE NVGS traded up $0.33 on Monday, hitting $14.01. The stock had a trading volume of 353,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 195,831. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $15.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Navigator has a 52-week low of $13.47 and a 52-week high of $18.18. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 1.39.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The shipping company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.01. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.48%. The business had revenue of $144.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $120.87 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Navigator will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Navigator’s payout ratio is currently 16.67%.

Navigator Company 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.