Brokerages Set Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Target Price at $21.60

Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.60.

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a report on Wednesday, March 12th.

Navigator Stock Performance

NYSE:NVGS opened at $11.54 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $800.85 million, a P/E ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 1.07. Navigator has a twelve month low of $10.55 and a twelve month high of $18.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $14.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

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

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th were given a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 61.0% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,383 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 1,661 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in Navigator by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,638 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC raised its holdings in Navigator by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 15,034 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.