BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $18.08 and last traded at $18.1280, with a volume of 2105 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on BWLP shares. Clarkson Capital raised shares of BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BW LPG in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BW LPG currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BW LPG Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market cap of $2.76 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $14.98 and its 200-day moving average is $14.19.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.19). BW LPG had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 4.57%.The firm had revenue of $279.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $242.92 million.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This is a positive change from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.8%. BW LPG’s payout ratio is presently 141.59%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BW LPG

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BWLP. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in BW LPG by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,257,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,704,000 after purchasing an additional 579,987 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of BW LPG in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,027,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its position in shares of BW LPG by 115,776.1% during the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 203,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,549,000 after acquiring an additional 203,766 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of BW LPG by 41.4% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 560,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,613,000 after acquiring an additional 164,057 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of BW LPG by 644.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 189,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,702,000 after acquiring an additional 163,803 shares during the period.

BW LPG Company Profile

BW LPG (NYSE: BWLP) is a pure‐play owner and operator of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. The company’s core business centers on the maritime transportation of LPG, predominantly propane and butane, under both time‐ and voyage‐charter arrangements. Its fleet comprises pressurized and semi‐refrigerated vessels designed to meet the specific requirements of LPG producers, traders and end‐users around the world.

Headquartered in Singapore, BW LPG serves a global customer base, with commercial offices in key energy hubs including Houston, London, Dubai and Tokyo.