Man Group plc Grows Position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Man Group plc increased its holdings in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 159.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 203,441 shares of the shipping company's stock after purchasing an additional 125,178 shares during the quarter. Man Group plc owned approximately 0.28% of Navigator worth $3,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NVGS. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Navigator in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Navigator by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,638 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 1,976 shares in the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC increased its position in Navigator by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 15,034 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 1,428 shares during the period. Finally, Corton Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Navigator during the 4th quarter valued at $270,000. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company's stock.

Navigator Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NVGS traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.13. The company had a trading volume of 74,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 230,624. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $980.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $13.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.77. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 52 week low of $10.55 and a 52 week high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The shipping company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $151.41 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $128.26 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.48%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 29th. Navigator's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.