Venture Global (NYSE:VG) Trading Down 4% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Venture Global shares fell 4% to about $13.74, with trading volume far below its average daily level.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $16.06, despite mixed individual recommendations.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.19, exceeding estimates, while revenue rose 58.9% year over year to $4.60 billion; it also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.018 per share.

Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 4% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $13.66 and last traded at $13.74. Approximately 2,508,611 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 19,509,307 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.31.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Venture Global in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $14.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Venture Global from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $16.00 to $17.00 in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Venture Global from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Venture Global from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of Venture Global in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $16.06.

Venture Global Stock Down 7.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.40, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.88 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.33.

Venture Global (NYSE:VG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter. Venture Global had a return on equity of 26.90% and a net margin of 16.94%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 58.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Venture Global, Inc. will post 1.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Venture Global Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.018 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $0.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Venture Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Venture Global

In other news, COO Brian Cothran sold 31,910 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.33, for a total value of $457,270.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Jonathan W. Thayer sold 111,111 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.05, for a total transaction of $1,227,776.55. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,348,288 shares of company stock worth $57,091,496. 84.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Venture Global

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Venture Global by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 12,429 shares of the company's stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Venture Global by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,336 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,161 shares during the last quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec grew its stake in Venture Global by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 12,254 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Venture Global by 24.1% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,014 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in shares of Venture Global by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 93,615 shares of the company's stock valued at $638,000 after buying an additional 1,407 shares during the last quarter.

Venture Global Company Profile

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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