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

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $21.60.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Manhattan CO. LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Navigator by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,034,596 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $15,881,000 after purchasing an additional 207,851 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in shares of Navigator by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,001,114 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $15,367,000 after purchasing an additional 102,711 shares during the period. Gagnon Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Navigator by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 852,608 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $13,088,000 after purchasing an additional 57,966 shares during the period. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Navigator by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 686,148 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,532,000 after purchasing an additional 136,160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP raised its position in Navigator by 266.4% in the fourth quarter. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP now owns 682,516 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,477,000 after purchasing an additional 496,220 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Navigator Price Performance

NVGS stock traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $14.01. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 353,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 195,831. 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. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 1.39. Navigator has a fifty-two week low of $13.47 and a fifty-two week high of $18.18.

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

Navigator Announces Dividend

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

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.