BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Trading Up 4.8% – Time to Buy?

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP)’s share price was up 4.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $15.87 and last traded at $15.9710. Approximately 157,909 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 419,669 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BWLP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BW LPG in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Dnb Carnegie lowered BW LPG from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Clarkson Capital upgraded BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets lowered BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

BW LPG Trading Down 1.6%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market cap of $2.40 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.89.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.09. BW LPG had a return on equity of 12.61% and a net margin of 6.76%.The business had revenue of $732.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $217.18 million.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.5652 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.3%. This is an increase from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio is 142.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BW LPG

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in BW LPG in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in BW LPG during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of BW LPG in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in shares of BW LPG in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. raised its holdings in shares of BW LPG by 99.3% in the 3rd quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 4,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares in the last quarter.

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.