Vanguard Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,093,098 shares of the shipping company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,475 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 1.05% of Golar LNG worth $46,260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GLNG. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Golar LNG during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of Golar LNG during the fourth quarter worth approximately $61,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new position in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at $107,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Golar LNG by 116.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,975 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Golar LNG during the 4th quarter worth $141,000. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Golar LNG Price Performance

Shares of GLNG stock traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $37.85. 194,424 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,651,551. The company's 50 day moving average is $36.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.75. The company has a market cap of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 270.38 and a beta of 0.47. Golar LNG Limited has a 1 year low of $24.42 and a 1 year high of $44.36.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. Golar LNG's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 208.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GLNG. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Golar LNG to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. DNB Markets cut Golar LNG from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Fearnley Fonds upgraded Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Golar LNG has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.13.

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.