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

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from the six analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $53.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. DNB Markets upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Golar LNG in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Dnb Nor Markets raised shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

Shares of Golar LNG stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $40.81. The company had a trading volume of 615,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,599,554. The stock has a market cap of $4.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,360.79 and a beta of 0.56. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.40. Golar LNG has a 12-month low of $29.29 and a 12-month 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 firm had revenue of $63.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $64.90 million. As a group, analysts predict that Golar LNG will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. Golar LNG's payout ratio is currently 3,333.33%.

Institutional Trading of Golar LNG

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Golar LNG by 358.9% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 647 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the first quarter worth about $26,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Golar LNG in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Golar LNG by 64.6% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 856 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Golar LNG by 906.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,462 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 3,118 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company's stock.

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.