Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 69,437,085 shares, an increase of 40.9% from the November 30th total of 49,273,695 shares. Currently, 21.4% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 12,227,495 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.7 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 12,227,495 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.7 days. Currently, 21.4% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Activity at Venture Global

In related news, VP Fory Musser sold 42,901 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.80, for a total transaction of $334,627.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Thomas Earl sold 1,000,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.89, for a total transaction of $6,890,000.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,000,000 shares of company stock valued at $22,904,729. Insiders own 86.73% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Venture Global

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Venture Global in the first quarter valued at about $2,926,000. Comerica Bank bought a new stake in shares of Venture Global in the 1st quarter worth approximately $157,000. PEAK6 LLC purchased a new position in Venture Global in the first quarter valued at approximately $114,000. Ghisallo Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Venture Global during the first quarter valued at $4,120,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada purchased a new stake in Venture Global in the first quarter worth $2,150,000.

Venture Global Stock Performance

Shares of VG stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Monday, hitting $7.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,209,107 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,441,966. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.46. The company has a market cap of $17.12 billion and a PE ratio of 8.97. The business has a fifty day moving average of $7.49 and a 200-day moving average of $11.83. Venture Global has a 52 week low of $5.72 and a 52 week high of $25.50.

Venture Global (NYSE:VG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.23 billion. Venture Global had a return on equity of 29.55% and a net margin of 21.99%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 259.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Venture Global will post 0.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Venture Global Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.017 dividend. This represents a $0.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Venture Global’s payout ratio is 8.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on VG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $17.50 price objective on shares of Venture Global in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Venture Global in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Venture Global from $15.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research downgraded Venture Global from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Finally, US Capital Advisors raised Venture Global to a “moderate sell” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.25.

Venture Global Company Profile

Venture Global (NYSE: VG) is a Houston-based energy company that develops, constructs and operates large-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities in the United States. The company focuses on converting domestically produced natural gas into LNG for shipment to international markets, positioning itself as a supplier of pipeline-quality gas in vessel-ready form for global customers.

Venture Global’s core activities include site development, engineering and construction of liquefaction and export terminals, commissioning and ongoing operations of those facilities, and commercial marketing of LNG under both long-term and short-term contracts.