Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Sets New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares of Navigator Holdings (NYSE:NVGS) hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $21.89 and last at $21.9050 on a volume of 383,043 shares.
• Analysts are mixed but MarketBeat shows a consensus Moderate Buy with an average target of $21.50; recent notes include upgrades from Weiss and Zacks and a downgrade from Wall Street Zen.
• Fundamentals: market cap $1.44B and P/E 14.9; the company paid a $0.07 quarterly dividend (1.3% yield) and reported a quarter with an EPS miss of $0.32 vs. $0.39 consensus while beating revenue at $152.8M vs. $136.2M.

Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $21.89 and last traded at $21.9050, with a volume of 383043 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on NVGS shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research raised Navigator from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.90, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $20.03 and a 200 day moving average of $18.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The shipping company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.07). Navigator had a return on equity of 6.35% and a net margin of 17.06%.The firm had revenue of $152.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.15 million. Research analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 23rd. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.92%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in Navigator by 1,124.1% during 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 Navigator during the second quarter worth $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Navigator by 2,794.4% during 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. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Navigator during the third quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Navigator during the second quarter worth $42,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Navigator Company Profile

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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