Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Downgraded to “Strong Sell” Rating by Zacks Research

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently commented on NVGS. Pareto Securities initiated coverage on Navigator in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Up 3.4%

Navigator stock opened at $18.19 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 12.04, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.40. Navigator has a 12-month low of $10.55 and a 12-month high of $18.83. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $17.80 and its 200 day moving average is $16.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.36. Navigator had a net margin of 17.85% and a return on equity of 6.83%. The firm had revenue of $153.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $133.84 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at $3,108,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 455,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,889,000 after acquiring an additional 40,500 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. R Squared Ltd lifted its position in shares of Navigator by 34.1% during the fourth quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 24,455 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 6,224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Navigator during the fourth quarter worth about $313,000. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

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).