Short Interest in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) Drops By 38.5%

Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 207,800 shares, a decline of 38.5% from the September 30th total of 337,700 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 176,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days.

Navigator Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:NVGS opened at $15.85 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Navigator has a twelve month low of $13.72 and a twelve month high of $18.18. The company has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.03 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $16.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.28.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $117.92 million. As a group, analysts expect that Navigator will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. Navigator’s payout ratio is presently 17.70%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NVGS. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Navigator during the second quarter worth $48,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co bought a new stake in Navigator during the second quarter worth $105,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Navigator by 9.1% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,221 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Navigator in the 1st quarter valued at about $252,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on NVGS. StockNews.com downgraded Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Navigator in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. DNB Markets began coverage on shares of Navigator in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

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.