Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 320,100 shares, a decrease of 21.9% from the March 15th total of 410,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 187,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days. Currently, 1.1% of the company's stock are sold short.

Navigator Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NVGS traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $15.05. 134,498 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 133,696. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.33. Navigator has a 52 week low of $12.32 and a 52 week high of $16.48. The company has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 13.56 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.93.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The shipping company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Navigator had a net margin of 14.94% and a return on equity of 6.96%. The business had revenue of $123.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $114.37 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Navigator will post 1.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 4th will be given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 3rd. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.02%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 586,001 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $7,155,000 after purchasing an additional 74,000 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Navigator by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 506,438 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $7,369,000 after acquiring an additional 7,645 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of Navigator by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 422,200 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $4,767,000 after acquiring an additional 45,400 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Navigator by 45.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 381,694 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $4,565,000 after acquiring an additional 119,355 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 253,956 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $3,101,000 after purchasing an additional 2,813 shares during the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, March 14th.

About Navigator

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.