BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Reaches New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after Dnb Carnegie upgraded the stock from a strong sell rating to a hold rating. The company traded as high as $21.35 and last traded at $21.2750, with a volume of 23152 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.06.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of BW LPG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BW LPG in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of BW LPG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BW LPG has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BW LPG

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BWLP. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of BW LPG by 34.6% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,257,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,704,000 after buying an additional 579,987 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of BW LPG in the first quarter worth about $9,646,000. Fearnley Asset Management AS purchased a new position in shares of BW LPG in the fourth quarter worth about $5,388,000. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BW LPG in the fourth quarter worth about $5,027,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in shares of BW LPG by 115,776.1% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 203,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,549,000 after buying an additional 203,766 shares in the last quarter.

BW LPG Trading Up 1.4%

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $17.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a PE ratio of 13.39 and a beta of 1.32.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.09. BW LPG had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 12.61%. The firm had revenue of $732.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $217.18 million.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.5652 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.6%. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 142.50%.

About BW LPG

BW LPG (NYSE: BWLP) is a pure?play owner and operator of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. The company’s core business centers on the maritime transportation of LPG, predominantly propane and butane, under both time? and voyage?charter arrangements. Its fleet comprises pressurized and semi?refrigerated vessels designed to meet the specific requirements of LPG producers, traders and end?users around the world.

Headquartered in Singapore, BW LPG serves a global customer base, with commercial offices in key energy hubs including Houston, London, Dubai and Tokyo.