Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC Increases Holdings in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 24.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,708 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,114 shares during the period. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC owned 0.06% of Navigator worth $607,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Tennessee Treasury Department acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Navigator during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $116,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Navigator in the 3rd quarter valued at $122,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at $113,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund acquired a new position in Navigator in the 1st quarter valued at $138,000. 18.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a report on Thursday, March 14th.

Navigator Trading Up 1.0 %

NVGS traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 91,197 shares, compared to its average volume of 186,456. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $15.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 13.36 and a beta of 1.46. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a twelve month low of $12.32 and a twelve month high of $16.48.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 13th. The shipping company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $123.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $114.37 million. Navigator had a return on equity of 6.96% and a net margin of 14.94%. On average, analysts expect that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Navigator Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be given a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. Navigator’s payout ratio is currently 18.02%.

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.