Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Position Reduced by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. cut its stake in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Free Report) by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 529,941 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 74,000 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.72% of Navigator worth $8,516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NVGS. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $105,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,221 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator during the first quarter worth approximately $252,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on NVGS. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Clarkson Capital raised shares of Navigator from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Citigroup started coverage on Navigator in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Navigator from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, DNB Markets started coverage on Navigator in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.60.

Navigator Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NVGS traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $16.27. The company had a trading volume of 284,649 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,795. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $15.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.34. The stock has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.37 and a beta of 1.50. 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 12 month low of $13.85 and a 12 month high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $129.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.92 million. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. Navigator's payout ratio is 17.70%.

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.