Westmount Partners LLC Trims Holdings in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Westmount Partners LLC decreased its holdings in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) by 22.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,062 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 1,999 shares during the period. Westmount Partners LLC’s holdings in Golar LNG were worth $299,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GLNG. Beck Capital Management LLC raised its position in Golar LNG by 0.7% during the second quarter. Beck Capital Management LLC now owns 75,114 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,355,000 after acquiring an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Golar LNG by 105.1% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,372 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 703 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG in the third quarter worth $32,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Golar LNG by 2.9% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 35,580 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 992 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Brien Greene & Co. Inc increased its position in shares of Golar LNG by 1.7% in the second quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 60,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,881,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GLNG traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $41.17. 557,509 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,200,513. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 294.09 and a beta of 0.59. Golar LNG Limited has a twelve month low of $19.94 and a twelve month high of $44.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.15 and a 200 day moving average of $36.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 714.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GLNG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Fearnley Fonds downgraded shares of Golar LNG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.