Short Interest in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Declines By 20.0%

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 255,400 shares, a decrease of 20.0% from the August 15th total of 319,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 214,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Navigator Stock Up 0.4 %

Navigator stock traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $15.89. The stock had a trading volume of 69,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 201,539. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.09. Navigator has a fifty-two week low of $13.68 and a fifty-two week high of $18.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.50 and a beta of 1.50.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The company 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Navigator will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Navigator’s payout ratio is 17.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Navigator in the second quarter worth $48,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter valued at $105,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter valued at $279,000. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC bought a new position in Navigator in the 1st quarter worth about $252,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on NVGS. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, August 15th. DNB Markets started coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Navigator has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

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.