J.Safra Asset Management Corp Buys New Shares in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 3,353 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $141,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Golar LNG by 431.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 185,018 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $6,802,000 after acquiring an additional 150,195 shares during the period. De Lisle Partners LLP lifted its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 249,390 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $9,169,000 after buying an additional 20,890 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in Golar LNG by 467.9% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,237,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $82,232,000 after buying an additional 1,843,100 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Golar LNG by 37.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 218,971 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $8,049,000 after buying an additional 59,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in shares of Golar LNG by 102.5% in the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 81,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,978,000 after acquiring an additional 41,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GLNG opened at $35.72 on Thursday. Golar LNG Limited has a fifty-two week low of $20.96 and a fifty-two week high of $44.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a PE ratio of 255.16 and a beta of 0.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $40.75 and its 200 day moving average is $38.27.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 208.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on GLNG. DNB Markets downgraded Golar LNG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Fearnley Fonds cut Golar LNG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Golar LNG has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.13.

About Golar LNG

Golar LNG Limited designs, converts, owns, and operates marine infrastructure for the liquefaction of natural gas. The company operates through three segments: FLNG, Corporate and Other, and Shipping. It engages in the regasification, storage, and offloading of liquefied natural gas (LNG); operation of floating liquefaction natural gas (FLNG) vessels or projects; transportation of LNG carriers; and vessel management activities.