Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Raised to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Navigator to “Buy” from “Hold,” while other analysts also raised their ratings or price targets. The stock has an overall “Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $23.33.
• Navigator reported quarterly EPS of $0.85, exceeding the $0.53 consensus estimate, while revenue of $167.94 million topped expectations of $139.46 million.
• Shares opened at $20.68, down 0.9%, with a market capitalization of approximately $1.28 billion. Insiders recently sold shares, while institutional investors own 18.95% of the company.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Navigator from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised shares of Navigator from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Navigator from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $23.33.

Navigator Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NVGS stock opened at $20.68 on Friday. Navigator has a fifty-two week low of $14.08 and a fifty-two week high of $24.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.62.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The shipping company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $167.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $139.46 million. Navigator had a net margin of 22.80% and a return on equity of 10.45%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Navigator news, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 6,259 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.70, for a total transaction of $135,820.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael Schroder sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.63, for a total transaction of $590,750.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 5,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $118,150. This trade represents a 83.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its stake in Navigator by 1,124.1% during 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 period. California State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in Navigator in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Navigator by 2,794.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,984 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Navigator in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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