Aristides Capital LLC Takes $252,000 Position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Aristides Capital LLC bought a new position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 16,400 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC bought a new stake in Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Semanteon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at $221,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at $319,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at $383,000. Finally, MQS Management LLC increased its holdings in Navigator by 62.8% in the 1st quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 26,285 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $403,000 after acquiring an additional 10,142 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st.

Navigator Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE NVGS traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $16.23. 92,942 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 178,714. The company has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a PE ratio of 13.87 and a beta of 1.51. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 12 month low of $12.80 and a 12 month high of $18.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $17.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.99.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 15th. The shipping company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.31. The business had revenue of $119.97 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $121.51 million. Navigator had a net margin of 15.68% and a return on equity of 6.86%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 4th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 4th. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.09%.

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.