Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.32 EPS

Key Points

• Navigator reported quarterly EPS of $0.85, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.32. The company posted an 18.84% net margin and 7.01% return on equity.
• Shares traded around $21.39, while analysts maintained a positive outlook: Navigator has a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $23.33, including Citigroup’s raised target of $27.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.07, equal to $0.28 annually and a 1.3% yield. Insiders recently sold shares, including the COO’s sale of 25,000 shares, while institutional investors own 18.95% of the stock.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The shipping company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.32, Zacks reports. Navigator had a net margin of 18.84% and a return on equity of 7.01%.

Navigator Stock Performance

Navigator stock traded down $0.41 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $21.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 445,282 shares, compared to its average volume of 418,810. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $21.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.16. Navigator has a 12-month low of $14.08 and a 12-month high of $24.36. The company has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.13, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.46.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th were paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 20th. Navigator's payout ratio is currently 17.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVGS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Navigator from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Navigator from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $23.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Navigator

In other Navigator news, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 6,259 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.70, for a total transaction of $135,820.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Michael Schroder sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.63, for a total value of $590,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 5,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $118,150. The trade was a 83.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Navigator by 102.8% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,673 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 2,875 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter worth $240,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter worth $211,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter worth $73,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Navigator during the third quarter valued at $65,000. 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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