Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Zacks Research lowered Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Pareto Securities started coverage on Navigator in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Down 0.8%

Navigator stock opened at $18.49 on Friday. Navigator has a 1 year low of $10.55 and a 1 year high of $18.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $17.78 and its 200-day moving average is $16.70. 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 market cap of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.24, a PEG ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.42.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The business had revenue of $153.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $133.84 million. Navigator had a net margin of 17.85% and a return on equity of 6.83%. On average, equities analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NVGS. NBC Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 4,696 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in Navigator by 37.4% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,627 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 1,259 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Navigator by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 37,394 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $579,000 after buying an additional 1,334 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Navigator by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 18,194 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 1,353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 1,124.1% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,677 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,540 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. is a global shipping company specializing in the seaborne transportation of liquefied gases. The company’s fleet is purpose-built to carry a range of petrochemical gases, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, propylene and ammonia. Navigator’s vessels are designed to meet the stringent safety and environmental standards required for handling pressurized and refrigerated gases, offering flexible capacity to customers across the energy and chemical sectors.

Navigator operates one of the largest and most modern fleets of gas carriers in the industry, with vessels ranging from fully pressurized gas carriers to specialized very large ethane carriers (VLECs).