Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Hits New 52-Week High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Navigator (NVGS) hit a new 52-week high — shares traded up to $21.45 (last $21.1550) on Tuesday with about 28,193 shares traded, and the stock carries a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $21.50.
• In the most recent quarter Navigator missed EPS estimates ($0.32 vs. $0.39) but beat on revenue ($152.8M vs. $136.2M), and analysts forecast roughly 1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company has a market cap of $1.4B, a PE of about 14.5 and PEG of 1.11, a low beta (0.45), and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.07 (annualized yield ~1.3%) with a payout ratio near 19%.

Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $21.45 and last traded at $21.1550, with a volume of 28193 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $21.27.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NVGS. Wall Street Zen lowered Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Navigator from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Up 0.9%

The company has a market cap of $1.40 billion, a PE ratio of 14.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.28.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The shipping company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $152.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $136.15 million. Navigator had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 6.35%. On average, analysts predict that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 23rd were given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 23rd. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Navigator's payout ratio is presently 18.92%.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 1,124.1% in the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,677 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,540 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the second quarter worth $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 2,794.4% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the second quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the third quarter worth $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company's stock.

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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