Venture Global Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:VG)

Key Points

• Venture Global, Inc. experienced a significant increase in options trading, with 20,404 put options sold, marking a 129% rise compared to average volumes.
• The company's stock price fell by 4.8% to $14.02, despite a recent increase in its dividend payout to $0.017 per share, representing a 50% yield.
• Insiders, including Thomas Earl, have sold a total of 1.5 million shares recently, raising concerns as they own 86.73% of the company's stock.

Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 20,404 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 129% compared to the typical volume of 8,929 put options.

Venture Global Stock Down 4.8%

NYSE VG traded down $0.71 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $14.02. 3,378,865 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,337,754. Venture Global has a 12 month low of $6.75 and a 12 month high of $25.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.76.

Venture Global Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a half year 25 dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a dividend of $0.017 per share. This represents a yield of 50.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 19th. This is a positive change from Venture Global's previous half year 25 dividend of $0.02.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Venture Global news, insider Thomas Earl sold 500,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.69, for a total value of $6,845,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,500,000 shares of company stock valued at $20,561,011. 86.73% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Venture Global

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Renaissance Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Venture Global in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,439,000. Defined Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Venture Global during the first quarter worth approximately $114,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Venture Global during the first quarter worth approximately $156,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Venture Global during the first quarter worth approximately $1,316,000. Finally, Forefront Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Venture Global during the first quarter worth approximately $938,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VG shares. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Venture Global from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Venture Global from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 28th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Venture Global from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $18.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Johnson Rice started coverage on shares of Venture Global in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Venture Global from $12.00 to $18.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $17.00.

About Venture Global

Venture Global has fundamentally reshaped the development and construction of liquefied natural gas production, establishing us as a rapidly growing company delivering critical LNG to the world. Our innovative and disruptive approach, which is both scalable and repeatable, allows us to bring LNG to a global market years faster and at a lower cost.

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