Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Sells 58,259 Shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 300,738 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 58,259 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.29% of Golar LNG worth $12,727,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in Golar LNG by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,996 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 7,363 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Terril Brothers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Terril Brothers Inc. now owns 11,400 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on GLNG. StockNews.com upgraded Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. DNB Markets lowered shares of Golar LNG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Fearnley Fonds raised shares of Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.13.

Golar LNG Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:GLNG opened at $37.76 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $38.85 and its 200 day moving average is $38.36. The stock has a market cap of $3.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 269.73 and a beta of 0.78. Golar LNG Limited has a 52-week low of $23.45 and a 52-week high of $44.36.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 208.33%.

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.