Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) Downgraded to "Sell" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Fearnley Fonds raised shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. DNB Markets raised shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Dnb Nor Markets raised shares of Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Golar LNG in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. One investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.88.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

Golar LNG stock traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $40.52. 502,979 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,462,250. Golar LNG has a 12-month low of $29.29 and a 12-month high of $44.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,352.32 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $40.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.47.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 27th. The shipping company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.09. Golar LNG had a net margin of 1.04% and a return on equity of 6.82%. The business had revenue of $63.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.90 million. Equities research analysts predict that Golar LNG will post 1.39 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Golar LNG

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Golar LNG during the 4th quarter valued at $465,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Golar LNG by 256.7% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 9,050 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 6,513 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Golar LNG during the 4th quarter valued at $310,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in Golar LNG by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 120,200 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $5,087,000 after purchasing an additional 8,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Golar LNG by 60.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 350,858 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $14,848,000 after purchasing an additional 131,887 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.21% of the company's stock.

About Golar LNG

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.