Estabrook Capital Management Raises Position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Estabrook Capital Management increased its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 4.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 137,263 shares of the shipping company’s stock after buying an additional 6,315 shares during the quarter. Estabrook Capital Management owned about 0.19% of Navigator worth $2,397,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NVGS. Perkins Coie Trust Co acquired a new position in Navigator in the 2nd quarter worth $105,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the second quarter worth about $279,000. Aristides Capital LLC purchased a new position in Navigator in the first quarter valued at about $252,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Navigator during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $319,000. Finally, Levin Capital Strategies L.P. grew its stake in Navigator by 74.7% during the 1st quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 22,449 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $345,000 after purchasing an additional 9,600 shares in the last quarter. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on NVGS. Citigroup assumed coverage on Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. DNB Markets began coverage on shares of Navigator in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Clarkson Capital raised Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Navigator Stock Down 1.1 %

NVGS stock opened at $15.95 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $16.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 1-year low of $13.68 and a 1-year high of $18.18. The firm has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 1.50.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. Navigator had a net margin of 14.76% and a return on equity of 7.35%. The business had revenue of $129.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.92 million. Research analysts predict that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.09%.

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.