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

Key Points

• Navigator shares rose above their 200-day moving average, trading as high as $21.44 versus the $21.23 average.
• Analysts give NVGS an average Buy rating with a $27 price target; the company also beat quarterly EPS and revenue expectations.
• Navigator increased its quarterly dividend from $0.07 to $0.08 per share, equivalent to a 1.5% annualized yield.

Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $21.23 and traded as high as $21.44. Navigator shares last traded at $21.4180, with a volume of 647,274 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on NVGS. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Navigator in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Navigator from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Navigator from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $27.00.

Navigator Trading Up 1.7%

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.29, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $22.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The shipping company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. Navigator had a return on equity of 10.43% and a net margin of 30.06%. The firm had revenue of $155.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $132.87 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.80 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 17th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 17th. This is an increase from Navigator's previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. Navigator's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.52%.

Insider Transactions at Navigator

In other Navigator news, insider Oeyvind Lindeman sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.68, for a total value of $162,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,246 shares of the company's stock, valued at $157,093.28. This trade represents a 50.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NVGS. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in Navigator by 156.1% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 33,850 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $785,000 after purchasing an additional 20,633 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,145,000. State of Wyoming grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,645 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 634 shares during the period. Tectonic Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 118,973 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $2,758,000 after buying an additional 38,571 shares during the period. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 31,920 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $759,000 after buying an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company's stock.

Navigator Company Profile

Navigator Holdings Ltd., which operates as Navigator Gas, owns and operates a fleet of gas carriers that transport liquefied gases by sea. Its vessels are designed to carry cargoes including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, ammonia and other petrochemical gases. The company serves customers across international markets, including gas producers, commodity traders and industrial users. Its fleet includes ships with different cargo-handling and refrigeration capabilities to transport gases with varying requirements.

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