State of Tennessee Department of Treasury Grows Position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

State of Tennessee Department of Treasury lifted its stake in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 39.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,277 shares of the shipping company's stock after buying an additional 24,868 shares during the quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury owned 0.12% of Navigator worth $1,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Harvey Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator during the fourth quarter worth $2,504,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Navigator by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 686,148 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $10,532,000 after acquiring an additional 136,160 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its position in Navigator by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,001,114 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $15,367,000 after purchasing an additional 102,711 shares in the last quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 852,608 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $13,088,000 after purchasing an additional 57,966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator in the third quarter worth $907,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator Stock Performance

NVGS stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $13.09. 43,741 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 224,002. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $13.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $908.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.77. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a one year low of $10.55 and a one year high of $18.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The shipping company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.01. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.48%. The company had revenue of $144.03 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $120.87 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th were issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 24th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Navigator currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.60.

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.