Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Shares Purchased by Wexford Capital LP

Wexford Capital LP boosted its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 36.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 85,425 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,857 shares during the period. Wexford Capital LP’s holdings in Navigator were worth $1,311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,638 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $194,000 after acquiring an additional 1,976 shares in the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 15,034 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corton Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter worth $270,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Navigator Price Performance

Navigator stock opened at $14.06 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $975.74 million, a P/E ratio of 12.44 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.84. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 12-month low of $10.55 and a 12-month high of $18.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.06. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The firm had revenue of $151.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $128.26 million. Equities analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.60.

Navigator Company Profile

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.