Venture Global (NYSE:VG) Trading 7.8% Higher – Here’s Why

Shares of Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG) traded up 7.8% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $12.25 and last traded at $12.2850. 12,267,997 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 15,116,880 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. US Capital Advisors upgraded Venture Global to a “moderate sell” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Venture Global in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. New Street Research set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Venture Global in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Venture Global from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Venture Global from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.90.

Venture Global Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $9.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.65. The company has a market cap of $29.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.29 and a beta of 5.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Venture Global (NYSE:VG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $4.45 billion for the quarter. Venture Global had a net margin of 18.38% and a return on equity of 27.96%. The firm’s revenue was up 191.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Venture Global, Inc. will post 0.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Venture Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.018 per share. This represents a $0.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This is an increase from Venture Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. Venture Global’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Sarah Blake sold 300,000 shares of Venture Global stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.85, for a total value of $3,555,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Fory Musser sold 1,000,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.90, for a total transaction of $10,900,000.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,330,700 shares of company stock valued at $26,684,100. Company insiders own 86.73% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Venture Global

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Venture Global in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,641,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Venture Global during the 3rd quarter valued at about $13,632,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Venture Global by 61.1% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 616,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,607,000 after buying an additional 233,978 shares during the last quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Venture Global in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,706,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in Venture Global by 223.7% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 562,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,986,000 after buying an additional 388,892 shares during the last quarter.

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.