Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Reaches New 1-Year High at $17.95

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $17.95 and last traded at $17.95, with a volume of 199819 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $17.46.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NVGS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research note on Thursday, March 14th.

Navigator Stock Up 3.0 %

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $16.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.92 and a beta of 1.51.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 15th. The shipping company reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.31. Navigator had a net margin of 15.68% and a return on equity of 6.86%. The firm had revenue of $119.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $121.51 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 4th were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 4th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. Navigator’s payout ratio is presently 17.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 145.7% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,086,016 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $16,641,000 after acquiring an additional 644,011 shares during the period. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Navigator by 89.3% during the 1st quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 522,535 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $8,021,000 after buying an additional 246,505 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Navigator by 17.9% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 673,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $10,338,000 after buying an additional 102,224 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its stake in Navigator by 152.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 72,370 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,069,000 after buying an additional 43,742 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Navigator by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 539,538 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $8,282,000 after buying an additional 33,100 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. engages in owning and operating a fleet of liquefied gas carriers worldwide. It provides international and regional seaborne transportation services of petrochemical gases, liquefied petroleum gases, and ammonia for energy companies, industrial users, and commodity traders. The company also offers ship shore infrastructure and consultancy services.