BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Reaches New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• 52-week high: BW LPG shares reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $20.37 and last at $20.29, sitting above its 50-day ($17.37) and 200-day ($14.93) moving averages with a market cap of about $3.05 billion and a P/E of ~12.6.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.5652 (annualized $2.26), producing an ~11.2% yield, but the payout ratio is very high at 142.5%, which may raise sustainability concerns.
• Beat expectations: BW LPG reported Q results of $0.69 EPS vs. $0.60 expected and revenue of $732.4M vs. $217.2M expected, yet analyst sentiment remains mixed (2 Buys, 1 Hold, 1 Sell) with a MarketBeat consensus of "Hold".

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $20.37 and last traded at $20.2910, with a volume of 80399 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.91.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BWLP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Dnb Carnegie cut shares of BW LPG from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen raised BW LPG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded BW LPG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of BW LPG in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold".

BW LPG Price Performance

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's 50-day moving average price is $17.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.93. The company has a market capitalization of $3.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 1.33.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $732.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $217.18 million.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.5652 per share. This represents a $2.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.2%. 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 currently 142.50%.

Institutional Trading of BW LPG

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in BW LPG by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,621,504 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,163,000 after purchasing an additional 35,066 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of BW LPG by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,530,196 shares of the company's stock worth $36,131,000 after buying an additional 272,882 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of BW LPG by 8.8% during the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,395,760 shares of the company's stock worth $16,413,000 after buying an additional 113,275 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in BW LPG by 41.4% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 560,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,613,000 after buying an additional 164,057 shares during the period. Finally, Fearnley Asset Management AS acquired a new position in BW LPG in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,388,000.

BW LPG Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.