Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Golar LNG received an upgrade from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen.
• The company has a market cap of $4.62 billion and reported earnings of $0.26 per share for the most recent quarter, missing analysts' expectations.
• Golar LNG has seen significant institutional investment, with 92.21% of its stock owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Sunday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Golar LNG in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, B. Riley reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $44.50 price objective on shares of Golar LNG in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $49.17.

Golar LNG Stock Up 0.0%

NASDAQ:GLNG traded up $0.01 on Friday, reaching $40.67. The stock had a trading volume of 1,225,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,304,838. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a 50-day moving average of $41.68 and a 200 day moving average of $39.66. The stock has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -580.92 and a beta of 0.42. Golar LNG has a 12-month low of $29.56 and a 12-month high of $45.98.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 14th. The shipping company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $75.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $79.37 million. Golar LNG had a negative net margin of 2.83% and a positive return on equity of 6.36%. On average, research analysts predict that Golar LNG will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 26th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Golar LNG's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,428.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Golar LNG

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 43.5% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 990 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 5.4% in the first quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 7,115 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. increased its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 4.8% in the first quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,515 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the period. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 6.1% in the second quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 6,829 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.