Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Downgraded by Zacks Research to "Strong Sell"

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) from a "hold" to a "strong sell" in a report issued Tuesday.
• Analyst views are mixed — four Buy ratings and one Sell leave a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a $21.50 price target.
• Navigator recently beat estimates (Q: EPS $0.50 vs. $0.34 est.; revenue $140.6M vs. $137.0M est.) and trades around $22.60 with a market cap of about $1.47B and a P/E of ~15.3.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

NVGS has been the topic of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, March 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Up 0.0%

NVGS opened at $22.60 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $20.13 and its 200-day moving average is $18.53. Navigator has a 1-year low of $12.91 and a 1-year high of $23.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.27, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.45.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The shipping company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.16. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.35% and a net margin of 17.06%.The company had revenue of $140.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.97 million. Equities research analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 1,124.1% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,677 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,540 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Navigator by 2,794.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,984 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in Navigator during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. is a global shipping company specializing in the seaborne transportation of liquefied gases. The company's fleet is purpose-built to carry a range of petrochemical gases, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, propylene and ammonia. Navigator's vessels are designed to meet the stringent safety and environmental standards required for handling pressurized and refrigerated gases, offering flexible capacity to customers across the energy and chemical sectors.

Navigator operates one of the largest and most modern fleets of gas carriers in the industry, with vessels ranging from fully pressurized gas carriers to specialized very large ethane carriers (VLECs).

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