Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $23.00

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Five analysts give Navigator Holdings an average “Moderate Buy” rating, with four buys and one hold. The consensus 12-month price target is $23.00 versus the reported share price of $21.70.
• Navigator exceeded quarterly expectations: The company reported earnings of $0.85 per share, beating the $0.53 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $167.94 million versus expectations of $139.46 million.
• The company maintains a quarterly dividend: Navigator paid $0.07 per share, equivalent to $0.28 annually and a 1.3% yield. Recent insider transactions were sales, while institutional investors collectively own 18.95% of the stock.

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $23.00.

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

Navigator Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE NVGS opened at $21.70 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $22.79 and its 200 day moving average is $21.12. Navigator has a 52 week low of $16.12 and a 52 week high of $25.48. 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 $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.00, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.48.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The shipping company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $167.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $139.46 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 10.45% and a net margin of 22.80%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Navigator

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Navigator by 62.7% during the first quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,034,216 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $19,991,000 after buying an additional 398,615 shares during the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Navigator by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 661,790 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $12,792,000 after purchasing an additional 108,467 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Navigator by 109.1% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 402,079 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $7,772,000 after purchasing an additional 209,760 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Navigator by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 324,935 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $6,281,000 after purchasing an additional 12,256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 48.1% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 122,310 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $2,279,000 after buying an additional 39,720 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd., operating under the name Navigator Gas, is a maritime transportation company that owns and operates a fleet of specialized gas carriers. The company transports liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), petrochemical gases such as ethylene and ethane, ammonia and other liquefied gases for energy, industrial and chemical customers.

Its fleet includes semi-refrigerated and fully pressurized vessels, as well as ethylene-capable carriers designed to handle cargoes requiring specialized containment and temperature controls.

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.