Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Share Price Crosses Below 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)’s share price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $21.90 and traded as low as $20.77. Navigator shares last traded at $20.9880, with a volume of 313,190 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on NVGS shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Navigator from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.00.

Navigator Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $22.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.92. The firm has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.53, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The shipping company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.32. Navigator had a net margin of 22.80% and a return on equity of 10.45%. The firm had revenue of $167.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $139.46 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Navigator’s payout ratio is 12.90%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Peter George Charles An Stokes sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total value of $101,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $140,134.80. This trade represents a 41.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.68, for a total value of $162,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $157,093.28. This represents a 50.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ellsworth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Navigator by 2.2% during the third quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 38,842 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $900,000 after purchasing an additional 830 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 31,920 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $759,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 1492 Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Navigator by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. 1492 Capital Management LLC now owns 178,024 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,441,000 after buying an additional 7,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 72.3% during the second quarter. BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC now owns 18,797 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 7,890 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd., operating under the name Navigator Gas, is a maritime transportation company that owns and operates a fleet of specialized gas carriers. The company transports liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), petrochemical gases such as ethylene and ethane, ammonia and other liquefied gases for energy, industrial and chemical customers.

Its fleet includes semi-refrigerated and fully pressurized vessels, as well as ethylene-capable carriers designed to handle cargoes requiring specialized containment and temperature controls.