Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

NVGS has been the subject of several other reports. Pareto Securities assumed coverage on Navigator in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Navigator from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Navigator in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.50.

Navigator Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of NYSE NVGS opened at $18.19 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.04, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Navigator has a 12 month low of $10.55 and a 12 month high of $18.83. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $17.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.78.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.36. The company had revenue of $153.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $133.84 million. Navigator had a net margin of 17.85% and a return on equity of 6.83%. As a group, analysts forecast that Navigator will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Navigator

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in Navigator by 1,124.1% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,677 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 1,540 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in Navigator during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Navigator by 2,794.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,055 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,984 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Navigator in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Navigator in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. 18.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. is a global shipping company specializing in the seaborne transportation of liquefied gases. The company’s fleet is purpose-built to carry a range of petrochemical gases, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene, propylene and ammonia. Navigator’s vessels are designed to meet the stringent safety and environmental standards required for handling pressurized and refrigerated gases, offering flexible capacity to customers across the energy and chemical sectors.

Navigator operates one of the largest and most modern fleets of gas carriers in the industry, with vessels ranging from fully pressurized gas carriers to specialized very large ethane carriers (VLECs).