Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Sells 61,396 Shares of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lowered its stake in Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS) by 53.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 53,638 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 61,396 shares during the quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC’s holdings in Navigator were worth $823,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NVGS. 683 Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 4th quarter valued at $2,916,000. Harvey Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Navigator during the 4th quarter valued at $2,504,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Navigator by 24.8% during the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 686,148 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,532,000 after purchasing an additional 136,160 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in Navigator by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,001,114 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $15,367,000 after purchasing an additional 102,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gagnon Securities LLC increased its stake in Navigator by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 852,608 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $13,088,000 after purchasing an additional 57,966 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

Navigator Price Performance

NVGS opened at $13.70 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $950.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $13.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.88. Navigator Holdings Ltd. has a 1 year low of $10.55 and a 1 year high of $18.18.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 12th. The shipping company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $144.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $120.87 million. Navigator had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 7.40%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Navigator Holdings Ltd. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Navigator Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. Navigator’s dividend payout ratio is 16.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Navigator in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Navigator from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Navigator currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.60.

Navigator Profile

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.