Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Pareto Securities began coverage on Navigator in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of Navigator from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Performance

Shares of NVGS stock opened at $18.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.13, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $17.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Navigator has a 12 month low of $10.55 and a 12 month high of $18.83.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The company had revenue of $153.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $133.84 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 17.85%. Sell-side analysts predict that Navigator will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in Navigator by 1,124.1% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,677 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,540 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Navigator by 2,794.4% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator during the second quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

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).