BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Hits New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• BW LPG shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $20.94 before closing near $20.71, continuing a strong recent run.
• Recent analyst views are mixed, with some firms upgrading the stock to Buy while others downgraded it, leaving the overall consensus at Hold.
• The company reported solid fundamentals and boosted its dividend, beating earnings estimates in the latest quarter and raising its quarterly payout to $0.5652, equal to an annualized yield of about 11%.

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $20.94 and last traded at $20.7120, with a volume of 16378 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.38.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Dnb Carnegie lowered shares of BW LPG from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of BW LPG in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of BW LPG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of BW LPG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BW LPG currently has an average rating of "Hold".

BW LPG Stock Performance

The business's fifty day moving average is $17.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 12.86 and a beta of 1.32.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.09. BW LPG had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 12.61%. The firm had revenue of $732.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $217.18 million.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.5652 dividend. This represents a $2.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.0%. This is a boost from BW LPG's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. BW LPG's payout ratio is 142.50%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in BW LPG by 4,137.5% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 23,476 shares of the company's stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 22,922 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in BW LPG by 14.0% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 51,463 shares of the company's stock worth $558,000 after buying an additional 6,331 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in BW LPG by 26.2% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,435 shares of the company's stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 1,749 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in BW LPG in the second quarter worth $98,000. Finally, StoneX Group Inc. bought a new stake in BW LPG in the second quarter worth $190,000.

About BW LPG

BW LPG NYSE: BWLP is a pure‐play owner and operator of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. The company's core business centers on the maritime transportation of LPG, predominantly propane and butane, under both time‐ and voyage‐charter arrangements. Its fleet comprises pressurized and semi‐refrigerated vessels designed to meet the specific requirements of LPG producers, traders and end‐users around the world.

Headquartered in Singapore, BW LPG serves a global customer base, with commercial offices in key energy hubs including Houston, London, Dubai and Tokyo.

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