Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $23.94 and last traded at $23.7960, with a volume of 14795 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $23.87.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on NVGS shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Navigator from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.33.

Navigator Stock Up 1.6%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $20.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.92. The firm has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The shipping company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.16. Navigator had a net margin of 18.84% and a return on equity of 7.01%. The business had revenue of $140.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $139.35 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Navigator’s payout ratio is presently 17.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Navigator by 30.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,680 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 625 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Navigator by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 4,696 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Navigator by 37.4% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,627 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 1,259 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of Navigator by 3.7% in the third quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 37,394 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $579,000 after purchasing an additional 1,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Navigator by 8.0% in the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 18,194 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,353 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

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).