Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Receives “Buy” Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $20.00 target price on the shipping company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 46.15% from the company’s previous close.

Navigator Price Performance

NVGS opened at $13.69 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 1.39. Navigator has a fifty-two week low of $13.55 and a fifty-two week high of $18.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $16.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.88. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. 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 expect that Navigator will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NVGS. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 61.0% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,383 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 1,661 shares in the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new position in shares of Navigator in the third quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Navigator by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,638 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 1,976 shares in 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.