Short Interest in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Decreases By 31.4%

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 98,000 shares, a drop of 31.4% from the February 13th total of 142,800 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 192,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days.

Navigator Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE NVGS traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $14.35. 321,289 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 198,176. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.81. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.69 and a beta of 1.39. Navigator has a 12 month low of $13.47 and a 12 month high of $18.18. 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 (NYSE:NVGS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 12th. The shipping company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.01. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The business had revenue of $144.03 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $120.87 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

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Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. Navigator's payout ratio is currently 16.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVGS. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 5,592 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in Navigator by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 898,403 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $14,437,000 after buying an additional 6,250 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. acquired a new stake in Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,210,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at $273,000. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in Navigator by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 178,600 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $2,870,000 after buying an additional 92,999 shares during the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.