Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.13.

A number of brokerages have commented on GLNG. StockNews.com upgraded Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased 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. Finally, Fearnley Fonds lowered Golar LNG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Golar LNG during the fourth quarter worth about $214,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 116.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,975 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,391,000. Finally, Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at about $750,000. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

Shares of GLNG opened at $38.99 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 278.52 and a beta of 0.59. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $41.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.20. Golar LNG has a 52 week low of $19.94 and a 52 week high of $44.36.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio is presently 714.34%.

Golar LNG Company Profile

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.