MQS Management LLC Purchases New Stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 51,607 shares of the shipping company's stock, valued at approximately $687,000. MQS Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Navigator as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Navigator by 266.4% during the fourth quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 682,516 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $10,477,000 after purchasing an additional 496,220 shares during the last quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 25.1% during the fourth quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,034,596 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $15,881,000 after acquiring an additional 207,851 shares during the last quarter. 683 Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the fourth quarter worth about $2,916,000. Man Group plc grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 159.9% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 203,441 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $3,123,000 after acquiring an additional 125,178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvey Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 64.4% during the first quarter. Harvey Capital Management Inc. now owns 268,100 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $3,568,000 after purchasing an additional 105,000 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.60.

Navigator Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NVGS traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $15.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 481,320 shares, compared to its average volume of 276,360. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 12-month low of $10.55 and a 12-month high of $17.53. The stock has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of 12.06 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The company's 50 day moving average is $14.29 and its 200 day moving average is $14.54.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $151.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $128.26 million. Navigator had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 7.83%. Equities analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 29th were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. Navigator's payout ratio is 15.63%.

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.