Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) shares gapped down before the market opened on Thursday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $20.44, but opened at $19.19. Navigator shares last traded at $18.12, with a volume of 134,699 shares trading hands.

The shipping company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $152.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.15 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 17.85%.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 23rd. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is 18.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Pareto Securities began coverage on Navigator in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Zacks Research downgraded Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NVGS. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its position in shares of Navigator by 1,124.1% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,677 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,540 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 2,794.4% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Navigator Stock Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 11.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.45.

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).