Magnetar Financial LLC Acquires 20,161 Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. $NVGS

Key Points

• Magnetar Financial LLC increased its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. by 85.6% during the first quarter, owning approximately 0.06% of the company valued at $582,000.
• Navigator recently reported a quarterly earnings miss with $0.14 EPS, falling short of the $0.36 consensus estimate, despite generating $129.64 million in revenue.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share, scheduled for payment on September 17th, representing an annual yield of 1.2%.

Magnetar Financial LLC raised its holdings in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 85.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,701 shares of the shipping company's stock after buying an additional 20,161 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC owned 0.06% of Navigator worth $582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 19,121 shares during the last quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,034,596 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $15,881,000 after purchasing an additional 207,851 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 581.3% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 58,781 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $782,000 after purchasing an additional 50,153 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 130,616 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $1,738,000 after purchasing an additional 2,911 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 31.6% during the 1st quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 92,069 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $1,225,000 after purchasing an additional 22,117 shares during the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Navigator Stock Performance

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

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 12th. The shipping company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.22). Navigator had a net margin of 15.57% and a return on equity of 6.56%. The company had revenue of $129.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $126.73 million. As a group, analysts predict 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 Wednesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 28th will be issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 28th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Navigator's payout ratio is currently 15.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Navigator presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $21.67.

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.