Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVGS opened at $17.88 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $16.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.62. Navigator has a fifty-two week low of $10.55 and a fifty-two week high of $18.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.08 and a beta of 0.57.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.36. Navigator had a net margin of 15.57% and a return on equity of 6.56%. The company had revenue of $153.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $133.84 million. As a group, analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NVGS. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the 1st quarter worth approximately $199,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 2.3% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 130,616 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,738,000 after buying an additional 2,911 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 49.4% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 317,095 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $4,221,000 after buying an additional 104,854 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in Navigator by 476.9% during the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 31,786 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $423,000 after buying an additional 26,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC raised its position in Navigator by 145.4% during the first quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 38,785 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 22,977 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. engages in owning and operating a fleet of liquefied gas carriers worldwide. It provides international and regional seaborne transportation services of petrochemical gases, liquefied petroleum gases, and ammonia for energy companies, industrial users, and commodity traders. The company also offers ship shore infrastructure and consultancy services.