Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Issues Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.07 EPS

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The shipping company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.07), FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $152.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.15 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 17.85%.

Navigator Trading Down 11.7%

NYSE:NVGS traded down $2.39 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $18.05. The stock had a trading volume of 242,593 shares, compared to its average volume of 278,547. Navigator has a one year low of $10.55 and a one year high of $21.36. The company has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $18.99 and a 200 day moving average of $17.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 23rd will be paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 23rd. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.54%.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Navigator by 16.4% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 542,756 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $7,224,000 after acquiring an additional 76,287 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Navigator by 18.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 50,885 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $677,000 after buying an additional 7,777 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of Navigator by 674.7% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 85,843 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,143,000 after acquiring an additional 74,762 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth about $5,677,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 118.1% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 79,438 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,124,000 after acquiring an additional 43,008 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Pareto Securities started coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen raised Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Navigator has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

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).