Man Group plc Sells 22,997 Shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Man Group plc lowered its stake in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Free Report) by 21.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 84,485 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 22,997 shares during the period. Man Group plc owned approximately 0.08% of Golar LNG worth $3,575,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GLNG. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Golar LNG by 431.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 185,018 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $6,802,000 after buying an additional 150,195 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Golar LNG by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 7,363 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 866 shares during the last quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at about $750,000. Zweig DiMenna Associates LLC acquired a new position in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,391,000. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Golar LNG by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company's stock.

Golar LNG Trading Up 3.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:GLNG traded up $1.38 on Tuesday, reaching $39.11. 4,028,390 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,460,449. The company has a fifty day moving average of $38.03 and a 200-day moving average of $39.07. Golar LNG Limited has a twelve month low of $25.33 and a twelve month high of $44.36. The company has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 279.38 and a beta of 0.62.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. Golar LNG's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 208.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on GLNG. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Golar LNG to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. 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. Fearnley Fonds upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, DNB Markets upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $49.70.

Golar LNG Company 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.