Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Hits New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $13.05 and last traded at $13.12, with a volume of 24886 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.19.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Navigator Price Performance

The company's fifty day moving average is $15.00 and its 200 day moving average is $15.60. The stock has a market cap of $821.60 million, a PE ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

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

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Navigator Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 24th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Navigator's payout ratio is currently 16.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Manhattan CO. LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 25.1% in the fourth quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,034,596 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $15,881,000 after acquiring an additional 207,851 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its position in shares of Navigator by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,001,114 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $15,367,000 after purchasing an additional 102,711 shares in the last quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 852,608 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $13,088,000 after buying an additional 57,966 shares during the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 686,148 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $10,532,000 after buying an additional 136,160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Navigator by 266.4% in the 4th quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 682,516 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $10,477,000 after purchasing an additional 496,220 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.95% of the company's stock.

About Navigator

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.