Short Interest in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Drops By 20.0%

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) was the target of a large decline in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 255,400 shares, a decline of 20.0% from the August 15th total of 319,300 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 214,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days.

Navigator Stock Up 0.2 %

NVGS opened at $15.66 on Friday. Navigator has a fifty-two week low of $13.68 and a fifty-two week high of $18.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.38 and a beta of 1.50. The company’s 50-day moving average is $16.25 and its 200 day moving average is $16.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $129.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.92 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.35% and a net margin of 14.76%. Research analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NVGS. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Navigator in the second quarter worth $38,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co purchased a new stake in Navigator in the 2nd quarter worth about $105,000. Aristides Capital LLC bought a new stake in Navigator in the 1st quarter valued at about $252,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Navigator during the second quarter valued at about $279,000. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. DNB Markets assumed coverage on Navigator in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Clarkson Capital raised shares of Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.00.

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.