Hodges Capital Management Inc. Buys 6,715 Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 549,988 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,715 shares during the quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. owned 0.75% of Navigator worth $8,838,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Navigator by 32.8% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,442,150 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $25,146,000 after purchasing an additional 356,134 shares during the last quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Navigator in the second quarter worth approximately $23,571,000. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 898,403 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $14,437,000 after acquiring an additional 6,250 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Navigator by 15.8% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 787,700 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $13,753,000 after acquiring an additional 107,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Navigator by 14.4% during the 2nd 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DNB Markets initiated coverage on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Clarkson Capital raised shares of Navigator from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Alliance Global Partners began coverage on Navigator in a research note on Monday, October 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Navigator in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Navigator has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $21.60.

Navigator Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NVGS opened at $15.38 on Friday. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $13.85 and a fifty-two week high of $18.18. 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 company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 13.61 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.31.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.70%.

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.