Venture Global Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:VG)

Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders acquired 60,061 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 79% compared to the typical daily volume of 33,557 call options.

Venture Global Stock Performance

Shares of VG stock traded down $0.34 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $13.87. 6,471,002 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,948,893. The company has a market capitalization of $34.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.92, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $12.60 and its 200 day moving average is $12.48. Venture Global has a 1 year low of $5.72 and a 1 year high of $17.62.

Venture Global (NYSE:VG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.01. Venture Global had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 34.08%. The business had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Venture Global will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

Venture Global Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.04 per share. This represents a $0.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Venture Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. Venture Global’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Venture Global in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $14.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Venture Global from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Citigroup upgraded Venture Global from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $12.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Venture Global from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $16.00 to $17.00 in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on Venture Global from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.12.

Insider Transactions at Venture Global

In other news, insider Thomas Earl sold 1,000,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.44, for a total transaction of $12,440,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Jonathan W. Thayer sold 111,111 shares of Venture Global stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.21, for a total value of $1,578,887.31. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,489,679 shares of company stock worth $46,318,890. Company insiders own 84.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VG. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Venture Global in the second quarter worth about $26,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in Venture Global during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Harbour Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Venture Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in Venture Global by 218.1% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 4,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 3,031 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Venture Global by 217.5% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 6,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 4,268 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.