BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $17.22 and last traded at $17.2660, with a volume of 3914 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BWLP shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BW LPG in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Clarkson Capital raised BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BW LPG Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.47. The business’s 50-day moving average is $14.14 and its 200-day moving average is $14.02. The company has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion and a PE ratio of 15.40.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.19). BW LPG had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The business had revenue of $279.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $242.92 million.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. This is a positive change from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.2%. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 141.59%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BW LPG

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in BW LPG by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,621,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,163,000 after purchasing an additional 35,066 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of BW LPG by 12.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,530,196 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,131,000 after buying an additional 272,882 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of BW LPG by 8.8% in the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,395,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,413,000 after buying an additional 113,275 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of BW LPG by 41.4% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 560,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,613,000 after buying an additional 164,057 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of BW LPG by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 299,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,923,000 after acquiring an additional 38,850 shares in the last quarter.

BW LPG Company Profile

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.