Royce & Associates LP Acquires 6,250 Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 898,403 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,250 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in Navigator were worth $14,437,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NVGS. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Navigator during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,444,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Navigator by 108.6% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 70,256 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 36,571 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Navigator by 145.7% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,086,016 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $16,641,000 after purchasing an additional 644,011 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Navigator by 266.1% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 42,995 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $751,000 after purchasing an additional 31,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Navigator by 13.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 29,884 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $459,000 after acquiring an additional 3,546 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Navigator Price Performance

Shares of Navigator stock opened at $16.13 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 12 month low of $13.85 and a 12 month high of $18.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.96 and a 200 day moving average of $16.34. The firm has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27 and a beta of 1.50.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $129.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.92 million. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. On average, research analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is 17.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on NVGS. 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 report on Thursday, August 22nd. Alliance Global Partners initiated coverage on shares of Navigator in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Citigroup began coverage on Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.60.

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.