Stifel Financial Corp Purchases 113,769 Shares of Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG)

Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG - Free Report) by 17.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 753,582 shares of the shipping company's stock after purchasing an additional 113,769 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 0.72% of Golar LNG worth $31,892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,093,098 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $46,260,000 after buying an additional 18,475 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Golar LNG by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 887,842 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $37,573,000 after acquiring an additional 319,677 shares during the last quarter. Discovery Capital Management LLC CT bought a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $17,719,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 60.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 350,858 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $14,848,000 after purchasing an additional 131,887 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 2.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 6,588 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.21% of the company's stock.

Golar LNG Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Golar LNG stock traded up $0.29 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $41.35. 417,088 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,374,990. The stock has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 295.00 and a beta of 0.47. The firm's fifty day moving average is $36.62 and its 200-day moving average is $38.79. Golar LNG Limited has a 52 week low of $24.42 and a 52 week high of $44.36.

Golar LNG Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Golar LNG's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 208.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on GLNG shares. DNB Markets raised 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Golar LNG to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Fearnley Fonds raised shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Dnb Nor Markets raised Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.70.

Golar LNG 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.