Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Shares Bought by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 784.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 44,728 shares of the shipping company's stock after acquiring an additional 39,669 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.06% of Navigator worth $687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NVGS. Aristides Capital LLC grew its stake in Navigator by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 15,034 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $231,000 after acquiring an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 26,913 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $413,000 after purchasing an additional 1,540 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,638 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,976 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Navigator during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVGS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.60.

Navigator Price Performance

Shares of Navigator stock traded up $0.30 on Friday, hitting $13.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 360,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 230,665. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 52-week low of $10.55 and a 52-week high of $18.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $13.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.79. The company has a market capitalization of $971.02 million, a P/E ratio of 12.38 and a beta of 0.77.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The shipping company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.06. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The business had revenue of $151.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $128.26 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 29th. Navigator's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.63%.

Navigator Company Profile

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.