Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts broadly favor Navigator Holdings: Five of six analysts rate the stock a “buy,” while one recommends holding it, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average 12-month price target of $23.33.
• Navigator reported quarterly EPS of $0.85, surpassing the $0.53 analyst consensus, while revenue of $167.94 million also exceeded estimates. The company expects full-year EPS of approximately $1.76.
• Shares opened at $22.66, near the analyst target, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.07, equivalent to a 1.2% annual yield. Recent insider selling reduced two executives’ holdings, while institutional ownership stands at 18.95%.

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $23.3333.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Navigator from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Navigator from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Navigator from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.68, for a total value of $162,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,246 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $157,093.28. This trade represents a 50.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Peter George Charles An Stokes sold 5,000 shares of Navigator stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total transaction of $101,400.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,910 shares in the company, valued at $140,134.80. The trade was a 41.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NVGS. California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 2,794.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,984 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Navigator during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Navigator in the second quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Navigator in the fourth quarter worth $57,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE NVGS opened at $22.66 on Thursday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $21.36 and its 200 day moving average is $21.16. Navigator has a 52 week low of $14.08 and a 52 week high of $24.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.44, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.47.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The shipping company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.32. Navigator had a net margin of 22.80% and a return on equity of 10.45%. The business had revenue of $167.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $139.46 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Navigator's payout ratio is 12.90%.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. is a global shipping company specializing in the seaborne transportation of liquefied gases. The company's fleet is purpose-built to carry a range of petrochemical gases, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, propylene and ammonia. Navigator's vessels are designed to meet the stringent safety and environmental standards required for handling pressurized and refrigerated gases, offering flexible capacity to customers across the energy and chemical sectors.

Navigator operates one of the largest and most modern fleets of gas carriers in the industry, with vessels ranging from fully pressurized gas carriers to specialized very large ethane carriers (VLECs).

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