Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 1,171,613 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 280% from the previous session’s volume of 307,987 shares.The stock last traded at $18.03 and had previously closed at $19.17.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVGS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 15th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Pareto Securities began coverage on Navigator in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.56. The company has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The shipping company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 6.35%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 23rd will be paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 23rd. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is 18.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Navigator in the second quarter worth about $5,677,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Navigator in the 3rd quarter worth $6,091,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Navigator in the 2nd quarter worth $4,773,000. First Manhattan CO. LLC. increased its stake in Navigator by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,430,009 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $24,768,000 after buying an additional 311,259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Navigator during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,108,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Navigator

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).