Petrus Trust Company LTA Raises Holdings in Navigator Holdings Ltd. $NVGS

Key Points

• Petrus Trust Company LTA increased its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. by 96.8%, holding 90,002 shares valued at approximately $1.2 million.
• Analysts have given Navigator a consensus Buy rating with a target price of $21.67, though one analyst downgraded the rating from "buy" to "hold."
• Navigator recently reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, falling short of expectations, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share.

Petrus Trust Company LTA grew its holdings in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 96.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 90,002 shares of the shipping company's stock after purchasing an additional 44,270 shares during the period. Navigator comprises approximately 0.1% of Petrus Trust Company LTA's holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Petrus Trust Company LTA owned approximately 0.13% of Navigator worth $1,198,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NVGS. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Navigator by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 73,478 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 8,499 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Navigator by 784.1% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 44,728 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $687,000 after acquiring an additional 39,669 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Navigator by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 80,719 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,239,000 after acquiring an additional 19,121 shares in the last quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Navigator by 266.4% in the fourth quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 682,516 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $10,477,000 after acquiring an additional 496,220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Manhattan CO. LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Navigator by 25.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $21.67.

Navigator Stock Down 0.4%

Navigator stock traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $16.39. The stock had a trading volume of 86,591 shares, compared to its average volume of 366,498. The company has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.91 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The business's 50 day moving average price is $15.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.44. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 52 week low of $10.55 and a 52 week high of $17.52.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its 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). The firm had revenue of $129.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $126.73 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.56% and a net margin of 15.57%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 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%.

Navigator 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.