Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research lowered Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Pareto Securities started coverage on Navigator in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Down 0.8%

NVGS opened at $18.49 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $17.78 and a 200-day moving average of $16.71. The company has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.42. Navigator has a fifty-two week low of $10.55 and a fifty-two week high of $18.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.36. The business had revenue of $153.09 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $133.84 million. Navigator had a net margin of 17.85% and a return on equity of 6.83%. On average, equities analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 25th. This is a positive change from Navigator’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is 18.54%.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in Navigator by 1,124.1% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,677 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,540 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Navigator by 2,794.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,984 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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).