Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $19.38 and last traded at $19.3750, with a volume of 80092 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $19.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on NVGS. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Pareto Securities started coverage on shares of Navigator in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Navigator has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.50.

Navigator Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of 12.81, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $17.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.90.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,680 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Navigator by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 4,696 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 845 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in Navigator by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,627 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 1,259 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased 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 valued at $579,000 after buying an additional 1,334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Navigator by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 18,194 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $282,000 after acquiring an additional 1,353 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator Company Profile

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).