Navigator’s (NVGS) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group reissued their buy rating on shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) in a research report report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $20.00 target price on the shipping company’s stock.

NVGS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. DNB Markets assumed coverage on Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. Alliance Global Partners began coverage on Navigator in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Clarkson Capital raised Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $21.60.

Navigator Price Performance

NVGS stock opened at $15.61 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.81 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.34. Navigator has a twelve month low of $13.72 and a twelve month high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $129.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $117.92 million. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Navigator will post 1.28 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. Navigator’s payout ratio is 17.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Navigator during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator during the second quarter worth $48,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co purchased a new stake in Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at about $105,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Navigator by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,221 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Navigator during the second quarter worth approximately $279,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Navigator Company 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.