BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) shares gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $19.68, but opened at $20.39. BW LPG shares last traded at $20.1030, with a volume of 93,230 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BWLP. Dnb Carnegie upgraded shares of BW LPG from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Kepler Capital Markets raised BW LPG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of BW LPG in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Pareto Securities lowered BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

BW LPG Trading Up 4.1%

The company has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 8.81 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.47. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.57.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter. BW LPG had a net margin of 10.13% and a return on equity of 18.51%. The business had revenue of $838.89 million for the quarter.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th were given a $6.196 dividend. This is a positive change from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $24.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 118.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 12th. BW LPG’s payout ratio is 112.61%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BW LPG

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in BW LPG in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BW LPG during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of BW LPG during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in shares of BW LPG during the third quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in shares of BW LPG during the first quarter valued at approximately $65,000.

BW LPG Company Profile

BW LPG (NYSE: BWLP) is a pure‐play owner and operator of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. The company’s core business centers on the maritime transportation of LPG, predominantly propane and butane, under both time‐ and voyage‐charter arrangements. Its fleet comprises pressurized and semi‐refrigerated vessels designed to meet the specific requirements of LPG producers, traders and end‐users around the world.

Headquartered in Singapore, BW LPG serves a global customer base, with commercial offices in key energy hubs including Houston, London, Dubai and Tokyo.