Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

NVGS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Pareto Securities started coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Four 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Navigator stock opened at $19.69 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Navigator has a 12-month low of $11.22 and a 12-month high of $21.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.30, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.81.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The shipping company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $152.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $136.15 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.35% and a net margin of 17.06%. Analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Navigator by 30.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,680 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Navigator by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 4,696 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 845 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Navigator by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,627 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 1,259 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in Navigator by 3.7% during the third quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 37,394 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $579,000 after buying an additional 1,334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Navigator by 8.0% during the third 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. 18.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator Company Profile

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).