SG Americas Securities LLC Grows Stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,221 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 684 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Navigator were worth $132,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NVGS. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Navigator during the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Navigator by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 252,187 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,669,000 after acquiring an additional 4,208 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Navigator by 18.4% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 34,013 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $522,000 after acquiring an additional 5,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co bought a new position in Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NVGS shares. Citigroup started coverage on Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Clarkson Capital raised shares of Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, DNB Markets initiated coverage on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Navigator Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:NVGS opened at $15.85 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.03 and a beta of 1.49. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 52-week low of $13.72 and a 52-week high of $18.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. Navigator had a net margin of 14.76% and a return on equity of 7.35%. The company had revenue of $129.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.92 million. Analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.70%.

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.