Millennium Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Millennium Management LLC trimmed its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 17.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 466,469 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 95,463 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC owned about 0.64% of Navigator worth $7,160,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at about $554,000. First Manhattan CO. LLC. boosted its position in Navigator by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,034,596 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $15,881,000 after buying an additional 207,851 shares during the period. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP boosted its position in Navigator by 266.4% in the 4th 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 period. Corton Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at about $270,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position 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 worth $1,239,000 after purchasing an additional 19,121 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NVGS. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.60.

Navigator Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE NVGS traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $14.41. 483,206 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 233,001. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $1.00 billion, a PE ratio of 12.75 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $13.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.77. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 12 month low of $10.55 and a 12 month high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The shipping company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $151.41 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $128.26 million. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. 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.