Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $45.10.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. B. Riley boosted their target price on shares of Golar LNG from $35.50 to $44.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of Golar LNG from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Golar LNG from $43.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Golar LNG from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 16th.

Golar LNG Stock Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ GLNG opened at $31.88 on Friday. Golar LNG has a 1-year low of $19.94 and a 1-year high of $36.52. The company has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.36 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $33.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The shipping company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.02). Golar LNG had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 50.89%. The company had revenue of $62.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.38 million. Equities analysts forecast that Golar LNG will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.24%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GLNG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the fourth quarter valued at $23,773,000. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. raised its holdings in Golar LNG by 32.0% during the 1st quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 3,586,994 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $86,303,000 after purchasing an additional 870,233 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Golar LNG by 53.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,732,655 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $54,319,000 after purchasing an additional 605,499 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 74.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,015,644 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $24,436,000 after purchasing an additional 433,299 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,554,000. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.