Dorian LPG (NYSE:LPG) Shares Down 4.9% – Should You Sell?

Dorian LPG Ltd. (NYSE:LPG)’s share price was down 4.9% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $53.80 and last traded at $53.8650. Approximately 329,489 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 46% from the average daily volume of 606,385 shares. The stock had previously closed at $56.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Dorian LPG from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Dorian LPG from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Dorian LPG in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $55.00.

Dorian LPG Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 3.26, a quick ratio of 3.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market cap of $2.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.05 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $49.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.99.

Dorian LPG (NYSE:LPG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The shipping company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.40. Dorian LPG had a return on equity of 25.69% and a net margin of 55.00%.The company had revenue of $187.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.78 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.27 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 123.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Dorian LPG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 27th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Theodore Young sold 11,919 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.50, for a total transaction of $649,585.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 107,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,874,773. This trade represents a 9.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Tim Hansen sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.12, for a total transaction of $2,656,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 107,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,719,696. The trade was a 31.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 126,000 shares of company stock valued at $6,163,449 over the last quarter. 13.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Dorian LPG by 4.4% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,341 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Dorian LPG in the second quarter valued at $57,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Dorian LPG by 65.9% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,206 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 479 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new stake in Dorian LPG during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in shares of Dorian LPG in the second quarter worth $1,478,000. 62.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Dorian LPG

Dorian LPG Ltd. (NYSE: LPG) is a maritime transportation company that owns and operates very large gas carriers (VLGCs). The company primarily transports liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), including propane and butane, for energy producers, commodity traders and other customers in international markets.

Dorian LPG’s fleet is designed for the ocean transportation of LPG between major exporting and importing regions. Its vessels support global trade routes linking LPG-producing areas, including the United States and the Middle East, with demand centers in Asia, Europe and other regions.