Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Stock Crosses Above 50 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)’s stock price crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.51 and traded as high as $18.07. Navigator shares last traded at $17.7280, with a volume of 540,809 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on NVGS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Navigator in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Down 0.2%

The stock has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 11.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company has a 50 day moving average of $16.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.85.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.36. The company had revenue of $153.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $133.84 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 17.85%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. This is an increase from Navigator’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is 18.54%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVGS. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Navigator by 18.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 50,885 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $677,000 after acquiring an additional 7,777 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. purchased a new position in Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at $383,000. SCS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Navigator in the 1st quarter valued at $1,250,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Navigator by 12.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 421,886 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $5,970,000 after purchasing an additional 47,391 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Estabrook Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Navigator by 13.7% during the second quarter. Estabrook Capital Management now owns 149,658 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,118,000 after buying an additional 18,090 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is 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.