Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Sunday morning.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on NVGS. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Pareto Securities initiated coverage on Navigator in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Performance

Navigator stock opened at $18.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.37. Navigator has a 1-year low of $10.55 and a 1-year high of $21.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $19.02 and a 200-day moving average of $17.48.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The shipping company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $152.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $136.15 million. Navigator had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 6.35%. Sell-side analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 23rd. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Navigator during the third quarter valued at approximately $597,000. Teton Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,320,000. Estabrook Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 13.7% in the 2nd quarter. Estabrook Capital Management now owns 149,658 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,118,000 after buying an additional 18,090 shares during the last quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Navigator by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,437,201 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $20,336,000 after buying an additional 99,326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Navigator during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $399,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Navigator News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Navigator this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Navigator filed its Annual Report on Form 20?F for year ended Dec 31, 2025, maintaining SEC compliance and providing updated disclosure on its fleet (55 vessels) and joint?venture terminal exposure — a transparency positive for investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.07 per share (record 3/23, payable 3/31), supporting income investors and signaling board confidence in cash generation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Liquidity and cash flow strengthened in the quarter — cash & equivalents rose to ~$204.9M (up ~47% YoY) and cash from operations improved — which cushions the balance sheet amid higher liabilities and capex. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and slide deck are available (useful for details on outlook, chartering and commodity exposure) but so far have not materially changed consensus guidance; investors can review management commentary. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company posted its Q4 presentation and supplemental materials for investor review (slides may clarify fleet utilization and 2026 expectations). Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed consensus: $0.32 reported vs. $0.39 expected (market reacted negatively). Net income and diluted EPS declined year?over?year, driving near?term selling pressure despite revenue coming in above estimates. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Following the earnings release the stock experienced a notable intraday drop (market priced in the EPS miss and lower net income), and some large institutional reshuffling was disclosed in recent filings. Read More.

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).