Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on NVGS. Wall Street Zen downgraded Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Navigator presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NVGS opened at $22.60 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 15.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a fifty day moving average of $20.13 and a 200 day moving average of $18.53. Navigator has a 52-week low of $12.91 and a 52-week high of $23.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The shipping company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $140.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.97 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.35% and a net margin of 17.06%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.16 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 30.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,680 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 625 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 4,696 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,627 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 1,259 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in Navigator by 3.7% in the third quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 37,394 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 1,334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Navigator by 8.0% in the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 18,194 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,353 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Navigator

Here are the key news stories impacting Navigator this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat — NVGS reported $0.50 EPS vs. $0.34 consensus and revenues of $140.6M (above estimates); net income and basic EPS rose materially year-over-year, supporting valuation and dividend capacity. Navigator Q1 beat (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend + buyback program — Board declared a $0.07 quarterly cash dividend (payable June 10) and announced ~$6.3M in planned repurchases for the quarter; management raised its Capital Return Policy target to return up to 35% of net income (from 30%), increasing direct shareholder returns. Dividend and capital return policy (Quiver)
• Positive Sentiment: Asset monetization & liquidity — company outlined vessel sales (profits from recent disposals) and a non‑binding LOI to sell eight Unigas vessels plus its Unigas stake for ~ $183M, and reported total liquidity of ~$291M — these actions bolster balance sheet flexibility for buybacks, capex or debt. Asset sale & liquidity (Quiver)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / transcripts available — management held the Q1 webcast; full transcript and call materials can provide details on forward bookings, charter coverage and vessel deliveries for active investors. Earnings call transcript (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Media snapshots / coverage — additional Q1 summaries (snapshots) are circulating that reiterate the beats and operational metrics; useful for quick reads but add little new. Q1 snapshot (Stamford Advocate)
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgrade — Zacks Research moved NVGS from “hold” to “strong sell,” a move that can amplify selling pressure from retail and algorithmic flows despite the beat. Zacks downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Operational headwinds in Q1 — total operating revenues were down ~7% YoY and average daily TCE fell modestly; adjusted EBITDA was lower versus prior-period and the company drew revolving credit as a precaution ($91.4M), which investors may view as a short-term warning on charter market dynamics. Q1 operating details (GlobeNewswire)

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. is a global shipping company specializing in the seaborne transportation of liquefied gases. The company’s fleet is purpose-built to carry a range of petrochemical gases, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, propylene and ammonia. Navigator’s vessels are designed to meet the stringent safety and environmental standards required for handling pressurized and refrigerated gases, offering flexible capacity to customers across the energy and chemical sectors.

Navigator operates one of the largest and most modern fleets of gas carriers in the industry, with vessels ranging from fully pressurized gas carriers to specialized very large ethane carriers (VLECs).