Jefferies Financial Group Reaffirms Buy Rating for Navigator (NYSE:NVGS)

Jefferies Financial Group reiterated their buy rating on shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) in a research report report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a $20.00 price target on the shipping company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on NVGS. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Clarkson Capital raised shares of Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. DNB Markets started coverage on Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Finally, Alliance Global Partners began coverage on Navigator in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Navigator has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.60.

Navigator Trading Down 0.4 %

NVGS stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $15.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 154,111 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,268. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Navigator has a 52 week low of $13.72 and a 52 week high of $18.18. The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 1.50.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.35% and a net margin of 14.76%. The business had revenue of $129.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.92 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.70%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NVGS. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,444,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Navigator by 6.5% in the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 539,538 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $8,282,000 after purchasing an additional 33,100 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Navigator by 108.6% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 70,256 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 36,571 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Navigator by 145.7% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,086,016 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $16,641,000 after purchasing an additional 644,011 shares during the period. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Navigator by 266.1% during the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 42,995 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $751,000 after buying an additional 31,250 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is owned by 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.