Focus Partners Wealth Buys Shares of 36,060 Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 36,060 shares of the shipping company's stock, valued at approximately $554,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Navigator by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,638 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $194,000 after buying an additional 1,976 shares during the period. Aristides Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Navigator by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 15,034 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the period. Finally, Corton Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 4th quarter worth about $270,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on NVGS shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Navigator currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.60.

Navigator Stock Up 2.2%

NVGS stock traded up $0.30 during trading on Friday, hitting $13.99. 360,268 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 230,665. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 1 year low of $10.55 and a 1 year high of $18.18. The firm's 50 day moving average is $13.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.79. The stock has a market cap of $971.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The shipping company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $151.41 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $128.26 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

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

Navigator 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.