Jump Financial LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Navigator Holdings Ltd. $NVGS

Key Points

• Jump Financial LLC increased its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. by **145.4%**, owning **38,785 shares** worth **$516,000** after acquiring an additional **22,977 shares** in the first quarter.
• Navigator recently reported a **net margin of 15.57%** and a revenue of **$129.64 million**, falling short of analysts' consensus earnings estimates while projecting **$1.25 EPS** for the fiscal year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of **$0.05**, representing an annualized yield of **1.2%**, with the ex-dividend date set for **August 28th**.

Jump Financial LLC lifted its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 145.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,785 shares of the shipping company's stock after acquiring an additional 22,977 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC owned 0.06% of Navigator worth $516,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Navigator by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 73,478 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,128,000 after buying an additional 8,499 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Navigator by 784.1% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 44,728 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $687,000 after buying an additional 39,669 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Navigator by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 80,719 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,239,000 after buying an additional 19,121 shares during the last quarter. Corton Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Navigator in the fourth quarter valued at about $270,000. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP raised its stake in Navigator by 266.4% in the fourth quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 682,516 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $10,477,000 after buying an additional 496,220 shares during the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on NVGS. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $21.67.

Navigator Stock Performance

Shares of NVGS stock traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $16.61. The stock had a trading volume of 314,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 298,316. The business's fifty day moving average is $15.77 and its 200-day moving average is $14.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 0.67. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 1-year low of $10.55 and a 1-year high of $17.52.

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

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 28th. Navigator's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.75%.

About Navigator

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.