Golar LNG Limited $GLNG Shares Acquired by AYAL Capital Advisors Ltd

Key Points

• AYAL Capital Advisors Ltd increased its stake in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) by 3.8%, owning 232,541 shares now valued at approximately $8.83 million, making it the second largest position in their portfolio.
• Golar LNG recently reported a quarterly EPS of $0.26, missing estimates, with revenue of $75.67 million against an expectation of $79.37 million, reflecting operational challenges.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25, translating to an annual yield of 2.3%, despite a highly unusual payout ratio of -1,428.57%.

AYAL Capital Advisors Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 232,541 shares of the shipping company's stock after buying an additional 8,441 shares during the quarter. Golar LNG accounts for approximately 2.9% of AYAL Capital Advisors Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. AYAL Capital Advisors Ltd owned 0.22% of Golar LNG worth $8,834,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in Golar LNG by 577.8% during the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 181,123 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $6,881,000 after buying an additional 154,402 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Golar LNG by 256.7% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 9,050 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $344,000 after buying an additional 6,513 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Golar LNG by 8,554.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 8,654 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 8,554 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Golar LNG by 20.2% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,561 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Golar LNG by 4.1% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 61,990 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $2,355,000 after purchasing an additional 2,435 shares during the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on GLNG shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. B. Riley reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $44.50 price objective on shares of Golar LNG in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Golar LNG from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Golar LNG in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Golar LNG currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $49.17.

Golar LNG Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:GLNG traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $44.22. 889,491 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,255,371. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $4.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -631.62 and a beta of 0.42. Golar LNG Limited has a 52-week low of $29.56 and a 52-week high of $45.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.60.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $75.67 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $79.37 million. Golar LNG had a positive return on equity of 6.36% and a negative net margin of 2.83%. As a group, analysts predict that Golar LNG Limited will post 1.39 EPS for the current year.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 26th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 26th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Golar LNG's dividend payout ratio is presently -1,428.57%.

Golar LNG Profile

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.