Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Boosts Stock Position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,018 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,303 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Navigator were worth $445,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in Navigator during the third quarter worth $273,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Navigator by 108.6% during 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 last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in Navigator by 255.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 17,602 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 12,649 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in Navigator by 56.6% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 26,158 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 9,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PDT Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Navigator by 70.5% during the third quarter. PDT Partners LLC now owns 55,325 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $889,000 after buying an additional 22,877 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:NVGS opened at $13.37 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The business’s 50 day moving average is $15.47 and its 200 day moving average is $15.72. The stock has a market cap of $978.11 million, a P/E ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 1.39. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 52-week low of $13.29 and a 52-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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.01. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 14.48%. The firm had revenue of $144.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $120.87 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. Navigator’s payout ratio is 16.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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 research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.60.

Navigator Profile

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.