Jefferies Financial Group Reiterates Buy Rating for Navigator (NYSE:NVGS)

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $20.00 price objective on the shipping company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price target would indicate a potential upside of 27.55% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on NVGS. Alliance Global Partners assumed coverage on Navigator in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They set a "buy" rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. DNB Markets assumed coverage on Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of Navigator from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Navigator presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.60.

Navigator Stock Performance

NVGS stock traded down $0.31 during trading on Thursday, reaching $15.68. The company had a trading volume of 397,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,482. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.19. Navigator has a twelve month low of $13.72 and a twelve month high of $18.18. The company has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.79 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.32.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $129.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.92 million. Navigator had a net margin of 14.76% and a return on equity of 7.35%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NVGS. Royce & Associates LP grew its position in shares of Navigator by 0.7% during the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 898,403 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $14,437,000 after buying an additional 6,250 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its holdings in shares of Navigator by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 43,107 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $693,000 after purchasing an additional 5,592 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 3rd quarter worth $3,444,000. Tectonic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Navigator by 3.5% in the third quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 63,900 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,027,000 after buying an additional 2,152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co lifted its holdings in Navigator by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 10,000 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $161,000 after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.95% of the company's stock.

Navigator Company 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.