Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) Stock Price Down 5.4% - Time to Sell?

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) was down 5.4% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $40.73 and last traded at $40.25. Approximately 1,181,572 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average daily volume of 1,615,689 shares. The stock had previously closed at $42.55.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Golar LNG to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. DNB Markets raised shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Fearnley Fonds upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Dnb Nor Markets upgraded Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $49.70.

Golar LNG Stock Up 0.6 %

The company's fifty day moving average price is $36.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.89. The company has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 286.23 and a beta of 0.62.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. Golar LNG's dividend payout ratio is 208.33%.

Institutional Trading of Golar LNG

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GLNG. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Golar LNG by 358.9% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 647 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of Golar LNG in the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the fourth quarter worth approximately $107,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 116.8% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Golar LNG in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $141,000. Institutional investors own 92.21% of the company's stock.

Golar LNG Company Profile

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.