Venture Global (NYSE:VG) Trading 10.2% Higher – Time to Buy?

Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG)’s share price was up 10.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $7.55 and last traded at $7.5150. Approximately 11,236,132 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 0% from the average daily volume of 11,190,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.82.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on VG shares. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $12.00 target price (down previously from $17.00) on shares of Venture Global in a report on Friday, October 10th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Venture Global from $15.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $17.50 price objective on shares of Venture Global in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Capital One Financial initiated coverage on shares of Venture Global in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $11.00 target price on the stock. Finally, US Capital Advisors upgraded shares of Venture Global to a “moderate sell” rating in a 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Venture Global currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.25.

Venture Global Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.46, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.83. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $7.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.24. The stock has a market cap of $17.64 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.24.

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

Venture Global Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.017 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Venture Global’s payout ratio is currently 8.97%.

Insider Activity at Venture Global

In other news, VP Fory Musser sold 776,298 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.06, for a total transaction of $6,256,961.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Thomas Earl sold 1,000,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.89, for a total value of $6,890,000.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,000,000 shares of company stock valued at $22,904,729. Company insiders own 86.73% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Venture Global

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VG. American Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Venture Global by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. American Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Venture Global in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Venture Global by 161.2% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 1,820 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Venture Global during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC boosted its position in shares of Venture Global by 66.7% during the third quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC now owns 5,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period.

About Venture Global

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.