Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Now Covered by Analysts at DNB Markets

Equities research analysts at DNB Markets began coverage on shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) in a report released on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the shipping company’s stock. DNB Markets’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 39.51% from the stock’s current price.

NVGS has been the subject of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 7th. Finally, Clarkson Capital raised 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Navigator Stock Performance

NYSE NVGS opened at $15.77 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $16.34 and a 200 day moving average of $16.07. 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 has a twelve month low of $13.68 and a twelve month high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $129.55 million for 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Navigator will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Navigator by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 506,438 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,369,000 after acquiring an additional 7,645 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 4th quarter worth about $319,000. Estabrook Capital Management lifted its stake in Navigator by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Estabrook Capital Management now owns 131,448 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,913,000 after purchasing an additional 6,700 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Navigator by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 252,187 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,669,000 after purchasing an additional 4,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Navigator by 89.3% during the first quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 522,535 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $8,021,000 after purchasing an additional 246,505 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.