BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Shares of BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $21.54, but opened at $20.41. BW LPG shares last traded at $21.08, with a volume of 69,338 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on BWLP. Dnb Carnegie upgraded shares of BW LPG from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BW LPG from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of BW LPG in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of BW LPG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BW LPG presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BW LPG Stock Down 0.1%

The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.26 billion, a PE ratio of 9.04 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $19.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.51.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 15th. The company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $838.89 million for the quarter. BW LPG had a net margin of 10.13% and a return on equity of 18.51%.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a dividend of $6.196 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $24.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 115.2%. This is a positive change from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. BW LPG’s payout ratio is presently 112.61%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BW LPG

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in BW LPG during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in BW LPG during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in BW LPG during the 1st quarter worth $65,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in BW LPG during the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new position in BW LPG during the 3rd quarter worth $62,000.

About BW LPG

BW LPG (NYSE: BWLP) is a pure‐play owner and operator of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. The company’s core business centers on the maritime transportation of LPG, predominantly propane and butane, under both time‐ and voyage‐charter arrangements. Its fleet comprises pressurized and semi‐refrigerated vessels designed to meet the specific requirements of LPG producers, traders and end‐users around the world.

Headquartered in Singapore, BW LPG serves a global customer base, with commercial offices in key energy hubs including Houston, London, Dubai and Tokyo.