Golar LNG Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Key Points

• Unusual options activity: Investors bought 84,881 call options on Golar LNG Monday, an increase of about 2,159% versus the stock's average daily call volume of 3,757, signaling heavy call buying interest.
• Shares traded up $0.46 to $56.16 with a market cap of $5.69 billion and a P/E of 87.85; the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.25 (annualized $1.00, 1.8% yield) but has a dividend payout ratio of 156.25%.
• Analysts are mixed—one Strong Buy, two Buy and three Hold for an average "Moderate Buy" rating and a $51.13 target—while institutional investors own 92.21% of the stock and several funds recently increased their positions.

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors bought 84,881 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 2,159% compared to the average daily volume of 3,757 call options.

Golar LNG Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ GLNG traded up $0.46 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $56.16. 1,482,057 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,787,114. The company's 50-day moving average is $50.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.11. Golar LNG has a one year low of $35.02 and a one year high of $56.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a current ratio of 2.55. The company has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.85 and a beta of 0.06.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The shipping company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $132.81 million during the quarter. Golar LNG had a net margin of 16.69% and a return on equity of 6.24%. On average, analysts forecast that Golar LNG will post 0.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Golar LNG's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 156.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Golar LNG in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of Golar LNG from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $51.13.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Amundi increased its position in shares of Golar LNG by 29.6% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 19,586 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 4,468 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Golar LNG by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 58,915 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $2,238,000 after purchasing an additional 2,572 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Golar LNG by 2.8% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 17,100 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $704,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Golar LNG by 68.4% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 11,689 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $481,000 after purchasing an additional 4,746 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Golar LNG by 94.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.21% of the company's stock.

About Golar LNG

Golar LNG Ltd. is a leading owner and operator of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and floating infrastructure. The company specializes in the transportation of LNG on long-term and spot charters for major energy firms around the world. In addition to shipping, Golar LNG has broadened its services to include project development and the conversion of existing carriers into Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) and Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) vessels.

Since pioneering the first purpose-built FLNG conversion project, Golar LNG has been at the forefront of offshore gas monetization.

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