StockNews.com Downgrades Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) to Hold

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research note on Thursday, March 14th.

Navigator Stock Up 0.2 %

NVGS stock opened at $16.52 on Monday. Navigator has a 1-year low of $12.33 and a 1-year high of $16.64. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of 14.88 and a beta of 1.45.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The shipping company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.96% and a net margin of 14.94%. The company had revenue of $123.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.37 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Navigator will post 1.45 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Navigator by 145.7% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,086,016 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $16,641,000 after buying an additional 644,011 shares in the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 89.3% during the 1st quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 522,535 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $8,021,000 after acquiring an additional 246,505 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 17.9% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 673,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,338,000 after acquiring an additional 102,224 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Navigator by 19.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 498,793 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,367,000 after purchasing an additional 82,066 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Dallas Securities Inc. bought a new position in Navigator in the third quarter valued at about $721,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.