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

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $50.50.

Several analysts recently issued reports on GLNG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $56.00 price target on shares of Golar LNG in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Golar LNG in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BTIG Research raised their target price on Golar LNG from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen raised Golar LNG from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Golar LNG from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

Shares of Golar LNG stock opened at $55.29 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 86.39 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a current ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $46.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.25. Golar LNG has a 1-year low of $29.56 and a 1-year high of $56.21.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The shipping company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter. Golar LNG had a net margin of 16.69% and a return on equity of 6.24%. The business had revenue of $132.81 million during the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Golar LNG will post 1.39 EPS for the current year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 156.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GLNG. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 38.0% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 80,892 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,010,000 after buying an additional 22,269 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 253.7% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,306,379 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $85,821,000 after acquiring an additional 1,654,353 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 8,149 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $303,000 after acquiring an additional 1,521 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter worth about $2,682,000. Finally, SummitTX Capital L.P. increased its holdings in Golar LNG by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 81,844 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,045,000 after acquiring an additional 1,565 shares during the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Golar LNG

Golar LNG Ltd. is a leading owner and operator of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and floating infrastructure. The company specializes in the transportation of LNG on long-term and spot charters for major energy firms around the world. In addition to shipping, Golar LNG has broadened its services to include project development and the conversion of existing carriers into Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) and Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) vessels.

Since pioneering the first purpose-built FLNG conversion project, Golar LNG has been at the forefront of offshore gas monetization.