Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 98,000 shares, a decline of 31.4% from the February 13th total of 142,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 192,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.5 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Navigator Stock Up 2.4 %

NYSE:NVGS opened at $14.01 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 1.39. Navigator has a twelve month low of $13.47 and a twelve month high of $18.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company’s 50 day moving average is $15.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.84.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The shipping company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $144.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $120.87 million. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. Analysts anticipate that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. Navigator’s payout ratio is 16.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $21.60.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NVGS. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in Navigator by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 43,107 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $693,000 after acquiring an additional 5,592 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 898,403 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $14,437,000 after purchasing an additional 6,250 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,210,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at $273,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 178,600 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,870,000 after purchasing an additional 92,999 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.