Venture Global (NYSE:VG) Stock Price Down 6% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Venture Global shares fell about 6% mid-day to $12.17 on Friday, trading ~2.95M shares (down roughly 86% versus its ~21.8M average) and sitting just below its 50‑day SMA ($12.73) but above the 200‑day SMA ($9.80).
• Analysts hold a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $15.77, reflecting mixed guidance after recent notes (Wells Fargo raised its target, JPMorgan cut theirs) and a split of 8 Buys vs. 9 Holds.
• Venture Global reported a quarterly EPS beat ($0.41 vs. $0.35) and revenue up 191.7% to $4.45B, but the company has high leverage (debt/equity ~3.24) and insiders sold roughly 6.09M shares (~$84.6M) in the past 90 days.

Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG - Get Free Report)'s stock price was down 6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $12.06 and last traded at $12.1670. Approximately 2,948,887 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 21,834,377 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.95.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Venture Global from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Venture Global from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Venture Global from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Venture Global from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Venture Global from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $15.77.

Venture Global Stock Down 6.9%

The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $12.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.80. The company has a market cap of $29.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.99, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Venture Global (NYSE:VG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $4.45 billion during the quarter. Venture Global had a net margin of 18.38% and a return on equity of 27.96%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 191.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Venture Global, Inc. will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Venture Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were given a $0.018 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $0.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Venture Global's previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. Venture Global's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.14%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Sarah Blake sold 200,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.00, for a total value of $3,200,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Fory Musser sold 1,000,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.90, for a total value of $10,900,000.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 6,094,446 shares of company stock worth $84,601,768 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 86.73% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Venture Global

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in Venture Global in the 3rd quarter valued at about $13,632,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Venture Global by 828.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 122,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $838,000 after acquiring an additional 109,594 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in Venture Global in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,837,000. Alps Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Venture Global in the 3rd quarter valued at about $13,413,000. Finally, Readystate Asset Management LP raised its holdings in Venture Global by 248.9% in the 3rd quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP now owns 555,050 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,876,000 after acquiring an additional 395,949 shares during the period.

About Venture Global

Venture Global NYSE: VG is a Houston-based energy company that develops, constructs and operates large-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities in the United States. The company focuses on converting domestically produced natural gas into LNG for shipment to international markets, positioning itself as a supplier of pipeline-quality gas in vessel-ready form for global customers.

Venture Global's core activities include site development, engineering and construction of liquefaction and export terminals, commissioning and ongoing operations of those facilities, and commercial marketing of LNG under both long-term and short-term contracts.

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