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

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Friday. The stock had previously closed at $25.77, but opened at $24.89. BW LPG shares last traded at $25.4690, with a volume of 167,680 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

BW LPG Stock Down 0.6%

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 $3.88 billion, a PE ratio of 8.71 and a beta of 0.97. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $23.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.74.

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

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were issued a dividend of NOK 8.89 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $35.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 138.9%. This is an increase from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of NOK 6.20. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio is presently 129.25%.

Institutional Trading of BW LPG

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of BW LPG during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,073,000. PDT Partners LLC acquired a new stake in BW LPG in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,467,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in BW LPG in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,626,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in BW LPG in the first quarter worth approximately $9,646,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of BW LPG during the 2nd quarter worth $2,211,000.

BW LPG Company Profile

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.