Brokerages Set Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Price Target at $21.50

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.50.

Several research firms recently commented on NVGS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Pareto Securities assumed coverage on Navigator in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th.

Navigator Stock Performance

Shares of NVGS stock opened at $18.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $17.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.32. Navigator has a one year low of $10.55 and a one year high of $18.51.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The company had revenue of $153.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $133.84 million. Navigator had a net margin of 17.85% and a return on equity of 6.83%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its position in Navigator by 284.3% in the first quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 206,108 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,743,000 after purchasing an additional 152,470 shares during the period. PDT Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Navigator during the 1st quarter worth approximately $200,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 542,756 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $7,224,000 after buying an additional 76,287 shares during the period. PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the first quarter valued at approximately $609,000. Finally, Petrus Trust Company LTA grew its holdings in Navigator by 96.8% during the first quarter. Petrus Trust Company LTA now owns 90,002 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,198,000 after acquiring an additional 44,270 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is 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).