Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Short Interest Update

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 207,800 shares, a decrease of 38.5% from the September 30th total of 337,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 176,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NVGS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Clarkson Capital raised Navigator from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Navigator in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. 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 report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, DNB Markets initiated coverage on Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Navigator by 32.8% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,442,150 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $25,146,000 after buying an additional 356,134 shares in the last quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Navigator in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $23,571,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Navigator by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 787,700 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $13,753,000 after buying an additional 107,300 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Navigator by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 673,500 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $10,338,000 after buying an additional 102,224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Navigator by 14.4% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 661,288 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $11,546,000 after buying an additional 83,344 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Navigator Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NVGS traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $15.85. 142,651 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 199,981. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $16.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.29. The company has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.03 and a beta of 1.49. Navigator has a 1-year low of $13.72 and a 1-year high of $18.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

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

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Navigator's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.