Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) to a sell rating in a research note published on Thursday.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. DNB Markets downgraded Golar LNG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.13.

Golar LNG Trading Up 3.0 %

NASDAQ:GLNG opened at $38.30 on Thursday. Golar LNG has a twelve month low of $23.45 and a twelve month high of $44.36. The company has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a PE ratio of 273.59 and a beta of 0.78. The company’s 50 day moving average is $38.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.33.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio is presently 208.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Golar LNG

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 111 Capital acquired a new position in shares of Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at about $248,000. Teza Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,652,000. Toronto Dominion Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,185,000. Sagefield Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $8,725,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 27,871 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,180,000 after purchasing an additional 9,169 shares during the period. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.