Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Stock Holdings Lifted by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 15.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 787,700 shares of the shipping company’s stock after acquiring an additional 107,300 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 1.08% of Navigator worth $13,753,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of NVGS. Perkins Coie Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Aristides Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the first quarter valued at $252,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Navigator in the fourth quarter worth $319,000. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Navigator by 74.7% during the first quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 22,449 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $345,000 after buying an additional 9,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MQS Management LLC raised its position in Navigator by 62.8% during the first quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 26,285 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $403,000 after buying an additional 10,142 shares during the period. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on NVGS shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. DNB Markets assumed coverage on shares of Navigator in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Clarkson Capital raised shares of Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price 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 target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.00.

Navigator Stock Down 1.1 %

NVGS stock opened at $15.95 on Monday. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 1 year low of $13.68 and a 1 year high of $18.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 1.50.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. Navigator had a return on equity of 7.35% and a net margin of 14.76%. The firm had revenue of $129.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $117.92 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.09%.

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.