Hodges Capital Management Inc. Grows Stock Position in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 24.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 686,148 shares of the shipping company’s stock after buying an additional 136,160 shares during the quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Navigator were worth $10,532,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NVGS. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,444,000. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Navigator during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,994,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Navigator by 108.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 178,600 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,870,000 after acquiring an additional 92,999 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of Navigator by 14.4% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 661,288 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $11,546,000 after acquiring an additional 83,344 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the third quarter valued at about $1,210,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on NVGS shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Alliance Global Partners started coverage on Navigator in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.60.

Navigator Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:NVGS opened at $16.65 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.73 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.75. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $15.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.99. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 52-week low of $14.55 and a 52-week high of $18.18.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.70%.

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.