Royce & Associates LP Has $15.37 Million Stock Holdings in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 11.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,001,114 shares of the shipping company’s stock after acquiring an additional 102,711 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 1.37% of Navigator worth $15,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of NVGS. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its holdings in Navigator by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 26,913 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $413,000 after purchasing an additional 1,540 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Navigator by 61.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,383 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 1,661 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Navigator by 10.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 19,640 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Navigator during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 67,173 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,031,000 after acquiring an additional 3,273 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Navigator Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE NVGS opened at $13.68 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a one year low of $13.47 and a one year high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 12th. The shipping company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.01. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. The company had revenue of $144.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $120.87 million. Research analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.