Short Interest in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Declines By 20.8%

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) saw a significant drop in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 345,000 shares, a drop of 20.8% from the June 30th total of 435,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 238,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Navigator

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NVGS. CWM LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the second quarter worth approximately $105,000. Semanteon Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the fourth quarter worth approximately $221,000. Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new position in Navigator during the first quarter worth $252,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Navigator during the fourth quarter worth $319,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Navigator Price Performance

Shares of Navigator stock traded down $0.04 on Friday, reaching $16.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 92,942 shares, compared to its average volume of 178,714. The company has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.87 and a beta of 1.51. Navigator has a 52-week low of $12.80 and a 52-week high of $18.18. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $17.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 15th. The shipping company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31. The business had revenue of $119.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $121.51 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 15.68%. Analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 4th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 4th. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st.

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.