Venture Global (NYSE:VG) Trading Up 10.2% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Shares jumped 10.2% to as high as $7.55 on Thursday, with roughly 11.24 million shares traded—approximately in line with its recent average volume and up from a prior close of $6.82.
• Analysts are mixed: MarketBeat shows an average rating of "Hold" with an average target of $14.25 (8 Buys, 7 Holds, 2 Sells), and several firms recently trimmed targets (e.g., Mizuho $12, JPMorgan $10, Wells Fargo $8).
• Operationally, Venture Global reported a revenue beat ($3.33B vs. $3.23B, +259% YoY) but missed EPS ($0.16 vs. $0.22); the company has a $18.47B market cap, high leverage (debt/equity 3.46), and insiders sold about 3 million shares (~$22.9M) last quarter while still owning ~86.7%.

Shares of Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG - Get Free Report) traded up 10.2% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $7.55 and last traded at $7.5150. 11,236,132 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 0% from the average session volume of 11,190,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.82.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on VG shares. Mizuho reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $12.00 price objective (down from $17.00) on shares of Venture Global in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Venture Global in a research report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Venture Global from $16.00 to $10.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $8.00 price objective on Venture Global in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, US Capital Advisors upgraded Venture Global to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $14.25.

Venture Global Trading Up 10.6%

The firm has a market cap of $18.47 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.46. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $7.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.33.

Venture Global (NYSE:VG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.06). Venture Global had a return on equity of 29.55% and a net margin of 21.99%.The company had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.23 billion. The business's revenue was up 259.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Venture Global, Inc. will post 0.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Venture Global Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.017 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.07 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Venture Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.97%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Fory Musser sold 776,298 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.06, for a total value of $6,256,961.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Thomas Earl sold 1,000,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.89, for a total value of $6,890,000.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,000,000 shares of company stock worth $22,904,729. Insiders own 86.73% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in Venture Global during the second quarter worth about $26,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Venture Global during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. MAI Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Venture Global in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Venture Global by 161.2% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,949 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,820 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Venture Global during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $45,000.

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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