Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Shares Break Below 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Navigator shares fell below their 200-day moving average, trading as low as $20.77 versus the $21.90 average, signaling weakening technical momentum.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: four analysts rate the stock Buy and one Hold, resulting in a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $23.00.
• Fundamentals were stronger than expected in the latest quarter, with EPS of $0.85 beating estimates by $0.32 and revenue reaching $167.94 million; the company also pays a $0.07 quarterly dividend, yielding about 1.3%.

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $21.90 and traded as low as $20.77. Navigator shares last traded at $20.9880, with a volume of 313,190 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on NVGS shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Navigator from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Navigator from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Navigator from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $23.00.

Navigator Stock Up 1.1%

The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 9.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.48. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $22.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.90.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The shipping company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $167.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $139.46 million. Navigator had a net margin of 22.80% and a return on equity of 10.45%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Navigator

In other news, Director Peter George Charles An Stokes sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total transaction of $101,400.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at $140,134.80. The trade was a 41.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 7,500 shares of the 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 completion of 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NVGS. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Navigator by 62.7% during the first quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,034,216 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $19,991,000 after buying an additional 398,615 shares in the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Navigator by 19.6% in the first quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 661,790 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $12,792,000 after buying an additional 108,467 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 109.1% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 402,079 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $7,772,000 after buying an additional 209,760 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 3.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 324,935 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $6,281,000 after buying an additional 12,256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1492 Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Navigator by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. 1492 Capital Management LLC now owns 178,024 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $3,441,000 after acquiring an additional 7,150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company's stock.

About Navigator

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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