Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Sunday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on NVGS. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Navigator in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Pareto Securities started coverage on shares of Navigator in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Down 1.5%

NVGS opened at $17.99 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.51. Navigator has a 1-year low of $10.55 and a 1-year high of $18.70. The company has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The company had revenue of $153.09 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $133.84 million. Navigator had a net margin of 17.85% and a return on equity of 6.83%. Analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. This is a positive change from Navigator’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. Navigator’s payout ratio is presently 18.54%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in Navigator by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 37,394 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 1,334 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 18,194 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 1,353 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Navigator by 1.4% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 132,508 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,875,000 after acquiring an additional 1,892 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Navigator by 2,794.4% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,984 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. is a global shipping company specializing in the seaborne transportation of liquefied gases. The company’s fleet is purpose-built to carry a range of petrochemical gases, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, propylene and ammonia. Navigator’s vessels are designed to meet the stringent safety and environmental standards required for handling pressurized and refrigerated gases, offering flexible capacity to customers across the energy and chemical sectors.

Navigator operates one of the largest and most modern fleets of gas carriers in the industry, with vessels ranging from fully pressurized gas carriers to specialized very large ethane carriers (VLECs).