Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 576,413 shares of the shipping company's stock, valued at approximately $24,394,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.55% of Golar LNG as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GLNG. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Golar LNG by 431.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 185,018 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $6,802,000 after buying an additional 150,195 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $465,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Golar LNG by 37.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 218,971 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $8,049,000 after buying an additional 59,188 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Golar LNG in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of Golar LNG by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 120,200 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $5,087,000 after buying an additional 8,654 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company's stock.

Golar LNG Trading Up 0.1%

GLNG traded up $0.05 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $39.89. 1,386,504 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,431,149. Golar LNG Limited has a one year low of $25.33 and a one year high of $44.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a PE ratio of 284.95 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $37.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.95.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. Golar LNG's dividend payout ratio is currently 208.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GLNG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Dnb Nor Markets upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Fearnley Fonds upgraded shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. DNB Markets raised shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Golar LNG to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Golar LNG has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $49.70.

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.