Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Stock Has Average Target Price of $23.00

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $23.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Navigator from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Navigator Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NVGS opened at $23.51 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $22.50 and a 200 day moving average of $21.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.48. Navigator has a 12-month low of $14.08 and a 12-month high of $25.48.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The shipping company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $167.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $139.46 million. Navigator had a net margin of 22.80% and a return on equity of 10.45%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Navigator will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Navigator’s payout ratio is presently 12.90%.

Insider Transactions at Navigator

In other Navigator news, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 7,500 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $162,600.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $157,093.28. This trade represents a 50.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Peter George Charles An Stokes sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total transaction of $101,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $140,134.80. The trade was a 41.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its holdings in Navigator by 148.3% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 47,148 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $878,000 after purchasing an additional 28,159 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in shares of Navigator by 48.1% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 122,310 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,279,000 after buying an additional 39,720 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 30.5% in the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 30,779 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $572,000 after buying an additional 7,185 shares in the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter worth $268,000. Finally, BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC grew its stake in 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 valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 7,890 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator Company Profile

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NVGS), operating under the Navigator Gas name, is a maritime transportation company focused on the international seaborne shipment of liquefied gases. The company owns and operates a fleet of gas carriers that transport liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, ammonia and other petrochemical gases.

Navigator’s vessels serve energy, petrochemical and industrial customers across major global trade routes. Its fleet includes ethylene-capable vessels, handysize gas carriers and larger liquefied gas carriers, allowing the company to transport cargoes between production centers, export terminals and importing markets.

In addition to its shipping operations, Navigator has invested in related midstream infrastructure.