Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Receives “Buy” Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group restated their buy rating on shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a $20.00 price objective on the shipping company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on NVGS. Clarkson Capital raised shares of Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Alliance Global Partners assumed coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Finally, DNB Markets assumed coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $21.60.

Navigator Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVGS traded down $0.06 during trading on Thursday, reaching $15.61. The stock had a trading volume of 154,111 shares, compared to its average volume of 186,561. Navigator has a 52 week low of $13.72 and a 52 week high of $18.18. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $15.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 13.81 and a beta of 1.50.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The firm had revenue of $129.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $117.92 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued 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 Monday, November 25th. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.70%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NVGS. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at about $23,571,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Navigator by 145.7% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,086,016 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $16,641,000 after purchasing an additional 644,011 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the third quarter valued at about $3,444,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Navigator by 361.3% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 207,039 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,615,000 after purchasing an additional 162,160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in Navigator by 15.8% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 787,700 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $13,753,000 after acquiring an additional 107,300 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.