BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $25.48 and last traded at $25.0960, with a volume of 121402 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.61.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on BWLP shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Pareto Securities lowered BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded BW LPG from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Dnb Carnegie raised shares of BW LPG from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BW LPG Trading Down 5.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a PE ratio of 9.88 and a beta of 0.99. 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 fifty day moving average of $20.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.31.

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

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th were issued a $6.196 dividend. This represents a $24.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 105.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 12th. This is a positive change from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 112.61%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BW LPG

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BWLP. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in BW LPG in the third quarter worth $36,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of BW LPG during the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of BW LPG during the second quarter valued at about $47,000. Pinnacle Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of BW LPG in the second quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in shares of BW LPG in the 3rd quarter valued at about $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.