Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at Citigroup

Citigroup began coverage on shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $22.00 price objective on the shipping company’s stock.

Separately, StockNews.com raised Navigator from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st.

Navigator Stock Performance

Shares of NVGS stock opened at $15.72 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $16.91 and a 200-day moving average of $16.01. The company has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Navigator has a 52 week low of $12.80 and a 52 week high of $18.18.

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 business had revenue of $119.97 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $121.51 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Navigator will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 4th were paid 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 1.27%. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.09%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $16,641,000 after acquiring an additional 644,011 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 17.9% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 673,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $10,338,000 after purchasing an additional 102,224 shares during the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 4.0% in the second quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 543,273 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $9,486,000 after purchasing an additional 20,738 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 6.5% in the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 539,538 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $8,282,000 after purchasing an additional 33,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Navigator by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 252,187 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,669,000 after buying an additional 4,208 shares during the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Navigator Company Profile

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.