Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Shares Cross Above Fifty Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Technical move: Navigator (NVGS) crossed above its 50-day moving average of $19.73, trading as high as $20.74 and last at $20.6360 on the session cited.
• Earnings update: The company reported Q EPS of $0.32 (missed consensus $0.39) while revenue of $152.83M beat estimates of $136.15M, and analysts project roughly $1.56 EPS for the year.
• Market sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed but averages a "Moderate Buy" with a $21.50 price target, and several hedge funds (e.g., Millennium, Goldman, Jane Street, JPMorgan) recently boosted positions, with institutional ownership near 18.95%.

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $19.73 and traded as high as $20.74. Navigator shares last traded at $20.6360, with a volume of 385,239 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NVGS. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Up 0.5%

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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $19.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.45.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Navigator had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 6.35%. The business had revenue of $152.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.15 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 23rd. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Navigator's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NVGS. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 16.4% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 542,756 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $7,224,000 after purchasing an additional 76,287 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 18.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 50,885 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $677,000 after purchasing an additional 7,777 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 674.7% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 85,843 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,143,000 after purchasing an additional 74,762 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at approximately $5,677,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 118.1% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 79,438 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 43,008 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently 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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