Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Pareto Securities began coverage on shares of Navigator in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NVGS opened at $18.49 on Friday. Navigator has a 12 month low of $10.55 and a 12 month high of $18.83. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $17.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 12.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.42.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The business had revenue of $153.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $133.84 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 17.85%. Equities analysts forecast that Navigator will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter worth about $5,677,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Navigator in the third quarter valued at about $6,091,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Navigator during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,773,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Navigator by 143.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 263,369 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,727,000 after buying an additional 155,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Credit Agricole S A bought a new position in Navigator during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,054,000. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Navigator Company Profile

Navigator Holdings Ltd. is a global shipping company specializing in the seaborne transportation of liquefied gases. The company’s fleet is purpose-built to carry a range of petrochemical gases, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, propylene and ammonia. Navigator’s vessels are designed to meet the stringent safety and environmental standards required for handling pressurized and refrigerated gases, offering flexible capacity to customers across the energy and chemical sectors.

Navigator operates one of the largest and most modern fleets of gas carriers in the industry, with vessels ranging from fully pressurized gas carriers to specialized very large ethane carriers (VLECs).