Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" from Analysts

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the seven brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $49.70.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Dnb Nor Markets raised Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. DNB Markets upgraded Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Fearnley Fonds upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Golar LNG to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th.

Institutional Trading of Golar LNG

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Naria Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at $435,226,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in Golar LNG by 49.2% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,638,045 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $196,282,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529,884 shares during the period. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the fourth quarter worth about $55,413,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,093,098 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $46,260,000 after purchasing an additional 18,475 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 887,842 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $37,573,000 after purchasing an additional 319,677 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.21% of the company's stock.

Golar LNG Price Performance

Golar LNG stock traded down $0.50 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $37.87. 1,594,910 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,420,009. Golar LNG has a 1 year low of $25.33 and a 1 year high of $44.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $36.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.93. The firm has a market cap of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 270.52 and a beta of 0.62.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. Golar LNG's payout ratio is 208.33%.

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.