Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Given Average Recommendation of "Buy" by Analysts

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Buy" from the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.60.

NVGS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They set a "buy" rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Clarkson Capital raised shares of Navigator from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Alliance Global Partners started coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Monday. They set a "buy" rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Navigator from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at about $48,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at about $105,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Navigator by 9.1% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,221 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the first quarter valued at about $252,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Navigator Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE NVGS traded up $0.16 on Monday, hitting $16.01. 139,937 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 199,692. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $16.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.11 and a beta of 1.49. Navigator has a 52-week low of $13.72 and a 52-week high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. Research analysts forecast that Navigator will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. Navigator's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.70%.

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.