Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Raises Stock Holdings in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 9.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 467,000 shares of the shipping company's stock after buying an additional 41,000 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned about 0.64% of Navigator worth $7,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVGS. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Navigator by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 19,640 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new position in Navigator in the third quarter worth about $907,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Gagnon Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Navigator by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 852,608 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $13,088,000 after buying an additional 57,966 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Navigator by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC now owns 217,979 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $3,346,000 after acquiring an additional 3,681 shares during the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Navigator currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $21.60.

Navigator Stock Performance

NYSE:NVGS traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $12.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 76,327 shares, compared to its average volume of 267,407. The firm's 50 day moving average is $13.83 and its 200-day moving average is $15.23. The firm has a market cap of $842.63 million, a P/E ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $10.55 and a fifty-two week high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The shipping company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $144.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $120.87 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.48%. Equities analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th were given a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.67%.

Navigator Profile

Navigator Holdings Ltd. engages in owning and operating a fleet of liquefied gas carriers worldwide. It provides international and regional seaborne transportation services of petrochemical gases, liquefied petroleum gases, and ammonia for energy companies, industrial users, and commodity traders. The company also offers ship shore infrastructure and consultancy services.