Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Short Interest Up 40.2% in May

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 367,800 shares, an increase of 40.2% from the May 15th total of 262,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 356,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days. Currently, 1.1% of the company's stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $21.60.

Navigator Stock Performance

Shares of NVGS traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $14.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 573,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 239,609. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Navigator has a 1-year low of $10.55 and a 1-year high of $18.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.58. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.38 and a beta of 0.79.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.06. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.83% and a net margin of 15.42%. The business had revenue of $151.41 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $128.26 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Navigator will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 29th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 29th. Navigator's payout ratio is presently 15.63%.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Navigator by 266.4% in the fourth quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 682,516 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $10,477,000 after purchasing an additional 496,220 shares during the last quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. grew its holdings in Navigator by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,034,596 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $15,881,000 after buying an additional 207,851 shares in the last quarter. 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at $2,916,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its position in Navigator by 284.3% during the 1st quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 206,108 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $2,743,000 after buying an additional 152,470 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 159.9% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 203,441 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $3,123,000 after buying an additional 125,178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company's stock.

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.