BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Friday. The company traded as high as $26.47 and last traded at $26.39, with a volume of 234983 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $26.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BWLP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Clarkson Capital upgraded BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of BW LPG from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Pareto Securities raised shares of BW LPG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BW LPG Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.97 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $24.07 and a 200 day moving average of $21.11.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last issued its earnings results on Saturday, August 29th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.38). BW LPG had a return on equity of 22.48% and a net margin of 12.64%.The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $318.01 million.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th were given a NOK 8.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $35.57 annualized dividend and a yield of 135.1%. This is a boost from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of NOK 6.20. BW LPG’s payout ratio is 129.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BW LPG

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BWLP. Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of BW LPG during the second quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BW LPG in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BW LPG during the first quarter valued at $65,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of BW LPG during the second quarter worth approximately $81,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of BW LPG during the first quarter worth $183,000.

About BW LPG

BW LPG Ltd. (NYSE: BWLP) is a maritime transportation company focused on the international seaborne transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The company owns and operates very large gas carriers (VLGCs), which transport propane, butane and other LPG products between major production and consumption markets.

BW LPG provides shipping and related logistics services to energy companies, commodity traders and other customers worldwide. Its activities include vessel ownership and operation, commercial management, ship management and LPG transportation.