48,363 Shares in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Acquired by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 48,363 shares of the shipping company's stock, valued at approximately $1,837,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Naria Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter valued at $435,226,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,638,045 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $196,282,000 after buying an additional 1,529,884 shares in the last quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter valued at $55,413,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Golar LNG by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,093,098 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $46,260,000 after purchasing an additional 18,475 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Golar LNG by 56.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 887,842 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $37,573,000 after purchasing an additional 319,677 shares in the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on GLNG shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. DNB Markets upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Dnb Nor Markets upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Golar LNG in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Fearnley Fonds upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $50.88.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

GLNG traded up $0.70 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $41.06. 660,606 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,454,963. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.29 billion, a PE ratio of 1,369.12 and a beta of 0.56. The company's 50-day moving average is $40.72 and its 200 day moving average is $39.47. Golar LNG Limited has a 52 week low of $29.29 and a 52 week high of $44.36.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 27th. The shipping company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.09. Golar LNG had a net margin of 1.04% and a return on equity of 6.82%. The business had revenue of $63.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $64.90 million. On average, research analysts expect that Golar LNG Limited will post 1.39 EPS for the current year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 3rd. Golar LNG's payout ratio is currently 3,333.33%.

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.