Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Share Price Breaks Above 50 Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Navigator shares moved above their 50-day moving average, reaching $24.68 and last trading near $23.82, compared with a 50-day average of $22.62.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive: four analysts rate the stock a Buy and one rates it Hold, resulting in a “Moderate Buy” consensus, though the average price target is $23.00.
• Navigator reported quarterly EPS of $0.85, well above the $0.53 consensus estimate, and revenue of $167.94 million versus expectations of $139.46 million. The company also pays a $0.07 quarterly dividend, while two insiders recently sold shares.

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $22.62 and traded as high as $24.68. Navigator shares last traded at $23.8230, with a volume of 451,684 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVGS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Navigator from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research cut Navigator from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Navigator from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $23.00.

Navigator Trading Down 0.4%

The company's 50 day moving average price is $22.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 10.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.48.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The shipping company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.32. Navigator had a net margin of 22.80% and a return on equity of 10.45%. The company had revenue of $167.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $139.46 million. As a group, analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Navigator's payout ratio is currently 12.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 7,500 shares of Navigator stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.68, for a total transaction of $162,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $157,093.28. This trade represents a 50.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Peter George Charles An Stokes sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total value of $101,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $140,134.80. This trade represents a 41.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. 9823 Capital L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $183,000. First Dallas Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Navigator during the 1st quarter worth approximately $267,000. AXQ Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $268,000. State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of Navigator by 242.1% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 14,661 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 10,376 shares during the period. Finally, BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC increased its holdings in Navigator by 72.3% in the 2nd quarter. BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC now owns 18,797 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 7,890 shares during the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator Company Profile

Navigator Holdings Ltd. NYSE: NVGS, operating under the Navigator Gas name, is a maritime transportation company focused on the international seaborne shipment of liquefied gases. The company owns and operates a fleet of gas carriers that transport liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, ammonia and other petrochemical gases.

Navigator's vessels serve energy, petrochemical and industrial customers across major global trade routes. Its fleet includes ethylene-capable vessels, handysize gas carriers and larger liquefied gas carriers, allowing the company to transport cargoes between production centers, export terminals and importing markets.

In addition to its shipping operations, Navigator has invested in related midstream infrastructure.

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