Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Short Interest Update

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,220,000 shares, an increase of 22.8% from the May 15th total of 5,880,000 shares. Approximately 8.2% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,910,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Fearnley Fonds raised shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Dnb Nor Markets raised Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. DNB Markets upgraded Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Golar LNG to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Golar LNG in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $49.70.

Golar LNG Stock Down 0.7%

GLNG traded down $0.31 on Thursday, hitting $42.32. 736,957 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,448,132. Golar LNG has a 12 month low of $28.31 and a 12 month high of $44.36. The company has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a PE ratio of 1,411.14 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock's fifty day moving average is $39.86 and its 200-day moving average is $39.59.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 27th. The shipping company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $63.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.90 million. Golar LNG had a return on equity of 6.82% and a net margin of 1.04%. Equities research analysts predict that Golar LNG will post 1.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 3rd. Golar LNG's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 3,333.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Savant Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at about $270,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Golar LNG by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 158,808 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $6,721,000 after buying an additional 3,115 shares during the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter worth approximately $200,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 279,238 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $11,817,000 after acquiring an additional 6,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,499,000. Institutional investors 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.