Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Rating Lowered to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Up 0.0%

Navigator stock opened at $22.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $20.13 and a 200 day moving average of $18.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.45. Navigator has a 12-month low of $12.91 and a 12-month high of $23.22. 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 (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The shipping company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.16. Navigator had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 6.35%. The business had revenue of $140.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $136.97 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Navigator in the second quarter worth $5,677,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Navigator in the third quarter worth $6,091,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Navigator in the second quarter worth $4,773,000. First Manhattan CO. LLC. lifted its position in Navigator by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,430,009 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $24,768,000 after buying an additional 311,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Navigator in the fourth quarter worth $3,108,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Navigator this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat — NVGS reported $0.50 EPS vs. $0.34 consensus and revenues of $140.6M (above estimates); net income and basic EPS rose materially year-over-year, supporting valuation and dividend capacity. Navigator Q1 beat (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend + buyback program — Board declared a $0.07 quarterly cash dividend (payable June 10) and announced ~$6.3M in planned repurchases for the quarter; management raised its Capital Return Policy target to return up to 35% of net income (from 30%), increasing direct shareholder returns. Dividend and capital return policy (Quiver)
• Positive Sentiment: Asset monetization & liquidity — company outlined vessel sales (profits from recent disposals) and a non‑binding LOI to sell eight Unigas vessels plus its Unigas stake for ~ $183M, and reported total liquidity of ~$291M — these actions bolster balance sheet flexibility for buybacks, capex or debt. Asset sale & liquidity (Quiver)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / transcripts available — management held the Q1 webcast; full transcript and call materials can provide details on forward bookings, charter coverage and vessel deliveries for active investors. Earnings call transcript (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Media snapshots / coverage — additional Q1 summaries (snapshots) are circulating that reiterate the beats and operational metrics; useful for quick reads but add little new. Q1 snapshot (Stamford Advocate)
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgrade — Zacks Research moved NVGS from “hold” to “strong sell,” a move that can amplify selling pressure from retail and algorithmic flows despite the beat. Zacks downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Operational headwinds in Q1 — total operating revenues were down ~7% YoY and average daily TCE fell modestly; adjusted EBITDA was lower versus prior-period and the company drew revolving credit as a precaution ($91.4M), which investors may view as a short-term warning on charter market dynamics. Q1 operating details (GlobeNewswire)

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).