WINTON GROUP Ltd Reduces Stock Holdings in Venture Global, Inc. $VG

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd cut its Venture Global stake by 97.2% in the second quarter, selling 638,812 shares and retaining 18,700 shares valued at approximately $208,000.
• Several institutional investors increased their positions, while company insiders sold 2.38 million shares worth approximately $33.6 million over the past three months. Insiders still own 84.24% of Venture Global.
• Venture Global reported quarterly EPS of $0.51, slightly above estimates, and doubled its quarterly dividend to $0.04 per share. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $16.13, compared with the stock’s $14.07 opening price.

WINTON GROUP Ltd lessened its position in shares of Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG - Free Report) by 97.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,700 shares of the company's stock after selling 638,812 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd's holdings in Venture Global were worth $208,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VG. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its position in Venture Global by 69.5% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 352,378 shares of the company's stock worth $3,922,000 after acquiring an additional 144,477 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Venture Global by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 27,650 shares of the company's stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 3,455 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Venture Global during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Corient Private Wealth LP raised its position in shares of Venture Global by 37.2% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 14,430 shares of the company's stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 3,910 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Readystate Asset Management LP lifted its stake in Venture Global by 57.2% in the 2nd quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP now owns 651,795 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,254,000 after buying an additional 237,245 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Sarah Blake sold 1,000,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.02, for a total transaction of $14,020,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sari Granat sold 200,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.49, for a total transaction of $2,698,000.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 2,382,442 shares of company stock valued at $33,642,249 in the last three months. Company insiders own 84.24% of the company's stock.

Venture Global Stock Down 2.4%

VG stock opened at $14.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.08, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.19. Venture Global, Inc. has a one year low of $5.72 and a one year high of $17.62. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $14.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.28.

Venture Global (NYSE:VG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.01. Venture Global had a return on equity of 34.08% and a net margin of 21.24%.The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Venture Global, Inc. will post 1.69 EPS for the current year.

Venture Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This is an increase from Venture Global's previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Venture Global's payout ratio is currently 12.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VG shares. Weiss Ratings cut Venture Global from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Venture Global in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Venture Global from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Venture Global from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Venture Global from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $16.13.

Venture Global Profile

Venture Global, Inc is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company that develops, constructs and operates LNG export facilities in the United States. The company sources natural gas from domestic markets, liquefies it at its coastal facilities and supplies LNG to customers in international markets.

Venture Global's operating and development portfolio is concentrated along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Its Calcasieu Pass LNG facility in Louisiana has entered commercial operations, while its Plaquemines LNG project in Louisiana is being developed and brought into service.

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