Robotti Robert Sells 23,686 Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Key Points

• Robotti Robert reduced its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 3.1%, owning 735,531 shares after selling 23,686 shares in the first quarter.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Navigator, with Wall Street Zen downgrading it from a "buy" to a "hold," while Jefferies maintains a "buy" rating with a target price of $19.00.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.3%, with the ex-dividend date set for August 28th.

Robotti Robert decreased its position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 735,531 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 23,686 shares during the period. Navigator makes up 2.0% of Robotti Robert's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Robotti Robert owned approximately 1.06% of Navigator worth $9,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake 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 during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Navigator by 2.3% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 130,616 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,738,000 after purchasing an additional 2,911 shares during the period. State of Wyoming increased its position in shares of Navigator by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 34,143 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $524,000 after acquiring an additional 6,244 shares in the last quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Navigator by 9.6% during the first quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 73,649 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $980,000 after acquiring an additional 6,476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Navigator by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 528,391 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $7,033,000 after acquiring an additional 6,550 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NVGS. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.25.

Navigator Price Performance

NYSE NVGS traded up $0.13 on Friday, hitting $15.72. The stock had a trading volume of 244,732 shares, compared to its average volume of 395,513. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 52-week low of $10.55 and a 52-week high of $17.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $15.29 and a 200-day moving average of $14.48.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 12th. The shipping company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $129.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $126.73 million. Navigator had a net margin of 15.57% and a return on equity of 6.56%. Equities analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 28th. Navigator's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.75%.

About Navigator

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.