Navigator Holdings Ltd. $NVGS Stake Lessened by Hodges Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Hodges Capital Management Inc. sold 311,653 shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd., reducing its stake by 45.4% and leaving it with 0.54% of the company's shares valued at approximately $4.99 million.
• Several other large investors have increased their stakes in Navigator, with Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raising its position by 284.3% during the first quarter.
• The company reported an EPS of $0.14, missing the consensus estimate by $0.22, while also announcing a dividend of $0.05 per share to be paid on September 17th.

Hodges Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 45.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 374,495 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 311,653 shares during the quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.54% of Navigator worth $4,985,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NVGS. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 73,478 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 8,499 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 784.1% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 44,728 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 39,669 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 80,719 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,239,000 after purchasing an additional 19,121 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at about $554,000. Finally, Man Group plc raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 159.9% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 203,441 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $3,123,000 after purchasing an additional 125,178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.95% of the company's stock.

Navigator Stock Performance

NVGS traded up $0.11 on Wednesday, hitting $16.70. 35,612 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 363,103. The firm has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.15 and a beta of 0.67. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a twelve month low of $10.55 and a twelve month high of $17.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 12th. The shipping company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.22). Navigator had a return on equity of 6.56% and a net margin of 15.57%.The business had revenue of $129.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $126.73 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 28th will be given a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 28th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is 15.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $21.50.

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.