BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Shares of BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 311,426 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 25% from the previous session’s volume of 415,435 shares.The stock last traded at $17.5350 and had previously closed at $16.52.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

BW LPG Trading Down 1.5%

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 business’s 50-day moving average is $16.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.36. The firm has a market cap of $2.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.69 and a beta of 1.79.

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

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.5652 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is a boost from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.2%. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio is currently 142.50%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of BW LPG in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in BW LPG during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in BW LPG during the third quarter worth $36,000. Fearnley Asset Management AS bought a new stake in BW LPG during the fourth quarter worth $5,388,000. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its position in BW LPG by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 299,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,923,000 after acquiring an additional 38,850 shares in the last quarter.

About BW LPG

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.