Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the five brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.60.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented 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 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th.

Navigator Stock Down 0.9%

NVGS opened at $14.54 on Friday. Navigator has a 12 month low of $10.55 and a 12 month high of $18.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The business's 50-day moving average price is $13.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.59. The company has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 0.79.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $151.41 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $128.26 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.83% and a net margin of 15.42%. On average, equities analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 29th were issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 29th. Navigator's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.63%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its position in shares of Navigator by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 52,267 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $802,000 after buying an additional 9,160 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its position in Navigator by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 87,249 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,339,000 after acquiring an additional 9,839 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Navigator by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 26,913 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $413,000 after acquiring an additional 1,540 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Navigator by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 641,745 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $9,851,000 after acquiring an additional 46,807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP raised its position in shares of Navigator by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,001,114 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $15,367,000 after acquiring an additional 102,711 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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