Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Trading Up 3.8% - Still a Buy?

Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) traded up 3.8% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $12.82 and last traded at $12.92. 64,192 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 220,981 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.45.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.60.

Navigator Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $13.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $887.60 million, a PE ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 1.07.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The shipping company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $144.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $120.87 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.48%. Sell-side analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Harvey Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 64.4% in the first quarter. Harvey Capital Management Inc. now owns 268,100 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $3,568,000 after purchasing an additional 105,000 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Navigator by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 528,391 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $7,033,000 after buying an additional 6,550 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Navigator by 581.3% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 58,781 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $782,000 after buying an additional 50,153 shares in the last quarter. Wexford Capital LP boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Wexford Capital LP now owns 85,425 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,311,000 after acquiring an additional 22,857 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its position in Navigator by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 34,143 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 6,244 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator Company Profile

Navigator Holdings Ltd. engages in owning and operating a fleet of liquefied gas carriers worldwide. It provides international and regional seaborne transportation services of petrochemical gases, liquefied petroleum gases, and ammonia for energy companies, industrial users, and commodity traders. The company also offers ship shore infrastructure and consultancy services.