Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Raised to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on NVGS. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Navigator from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Navigator from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have assigned a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.33.

Navigator Price Performance

NYSE NVGS opened at $21.52 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.44. 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 has a 12-month low of $13.90 and a 12-month high of $24.36.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The shipping company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.16. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.01% and a net margin of 18.84%.The firm had revenue of $140.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $139.35 million. Analysts forecast that Navigator will post 1.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Navigator

In related news, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 6,259 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.70, for a total value of $135,820.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael Schroder sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.63, for a total value of $590,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $118,150. This represents a 83.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Navigator by 3.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 324,935 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $6,281,000 after purchasing an additional 12,256 shares in the last quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Navigator by 62.7% in the 1st quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,034,216 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $19,991,000 after buying an additional 398,615 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Navigator by 50.8% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 76,496 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,479,000 after buying an additional 25,756 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Navigator by 109.1% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 402,079 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,772,000 after buying an additional 209,760 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its stake in Navigator by 242.1% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 14,661 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 10,376 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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).