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

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $50.13.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Fearnley Fonds lowered shares of Golar LNG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GLNG opened at $43.50 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $39.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 310.74 and a beta of 0.59. Golar LNG has a 12-month low of $19.94 and a 12-month high of $44.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 714.29%.

Institutional Trading of Golar LNG

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Beck Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Golar LNG by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Beck Capital Management LLC now owns 75,114 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,355,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Golar LNG by 105.1% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,372 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 703 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Golar LNG during the third quarter valued at $32,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 2.9% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 35,580 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 992 shares during the period. Finally, O Brien Greene & Co. Inc boosted its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 60,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Golar LNG

Golar LNG Limited designs, converts, owns, and operates marine infrastructure for the liquefaction of natural gas. The company operates through three segments: FLNG, Corporate and Other, and Shipping. It engages in the regasification, storage, and offloading of liquefied natural gas (LNG); operation of floating liquefaction natural gas (FLNG) vessels or projects; transportation of LNG carriers; and vessel management activities.