Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on NVGS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a report on Friday, March 27th. Pareto Securities began coverage on Navigator in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE NVGS opened at $20.05 on Monday. Navigator has a 1 year low of $11.22 and a 1 year high of $21.36. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.83.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The shipping company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $152.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $136.15 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.35% and a net margin of 17.06%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Navigator will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 23rd. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is 18.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Navigator by 1,124.1% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,677 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,540 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Navigator by 2,794.4% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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).