Penbrook Management LLC Trims Stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Penbrook Management LLC reduced its position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 38.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,300 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 32,200 shares during the quarter. Penbrook Management LLC owned 0.08% of Navigator worth $696,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wexford Capital LP grew its stake in Navigator by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. Wexford Capital LP now owns 85,425 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,311,000 after purchasing an additional 22,857 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming grew its position in shares of Navigator by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 34,143 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $524,000 after buying an additional 6,244 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc grew its position in shares of Navigator by 159.9% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 203,441 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $3,123,000 after buying an additional 125,178 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the 4th quarter worth approximately $554,000. Finally, First Manhattan CO. LLC. lifted its position in Navigator by 25.1% during the fourth quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,034,596 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $15,881,000 after acquiring an additional 207,851 shares during the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.60.

Navigator Stock Performance

NVGS stock traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $14.18. The stock had a trading volume of 407,372 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,940. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.75. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 52-week low of $10.55 and a 52-week high of $18.18. 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 stock has a market cap of $984.06 million, a PE ratio of 12.55 and a beta of 0.77.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The shipping company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.06. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.48%. The firm had revenue of $151.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $128.26 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. 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 1.41%. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.