Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Stock Price Down 4.4% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Navigator Holdings (NYSE:NVGS) shares fell 4.4% to $19.86, with trading volume far below average. The move came even as the stock has a consensus Buy rating and a $23.33 average price target.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.50 versus estimates of $0.34 and revenue of $140.62 million versus $139.35 million expected. Analysts now forecast full-year EPS of 1.98.
• Navigator also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.07 per share, while recent insider sales by executives drew attention. Institutional investors remain involved, with hedge funds and other institutions owning about 18.95% of the stock.

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 4.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $20.00 and last traded at $19.86. 43,381 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 415,249 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.78.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on NVGS shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Navigator from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Citigroup upped their target price on Navigator from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Navigator from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have assigned a Buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $23.33.

Navigator Trading Down 5.0%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $21.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.08. The company has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The shipping company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $140.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $139.35 million. Navigator had a net margin of 18.84% and a return on equity of 7.01%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.98 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th were paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 20th. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.18%.

Insider Activity at Navigator

In related news, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 6,259 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.70, for a total transaction of $135,820.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Michael Schroder sold 25,000 shares of the 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $118,150. This trade represents a 83.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NVGS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Navigator by 165.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 210,797 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $3,265,000 after purchasing an additional 131,359 shares during the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Navigator by 31.1% during the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 553,323 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $9,584,000 after buying an additional 131,351 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 4th quarter valued at $3,108,000. First Manhattan CO. LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 27.8% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,430,009 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $24,768,000 after acquiring an additional 311,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 455,500 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $7,889,000 after acquiring an additional 40,500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company's stock.

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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