B. Riley Issues Pessimistic Outlook for Golar LNG Earnings

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) – Analysts at B. Riley cut their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for Golar LNG in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, November 12th. B. Riley analyst L. Burke now anticipates that the shipping company will post earnings per share of $0.42 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.48. B. Riley currently has a “Buy” rating and a $44.50 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Golar LNG’s current full-year earnings is $1.53 per share.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Golar LNG from $43.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Golar LNG from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Golar LNG presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.63.

Golar LNG Price Performance

NASDAQ GLNG opened at $34.99 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.23 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.37. Golar LNG has a 52-week low of $19.94 and a 52-week high of $39.40.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The shipping company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $62.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.38 million. Golar LNG had a net margin of 50.89% and a return on equity of 9.20%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its position in shares of Golar LNG by 467.9% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,237,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $82,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,843,100 shares during the last quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 32.0% in the first quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 3,586,994 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $86,303,000 after acquiring an additional 870,233 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Golar LNG by 53.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,732,655 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $54,319,000 after acquiring an additional 605,499 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Golar LNG by 74.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,015,644 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $24,436,000 after purchasing an additional 433,299 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Appian Way Asset Management LP bought a new stake in Golar LNG in the 3rd quarter valued at $15,351,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 25th. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.63%.

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.