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

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

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Dnb Nor Markets raised Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Fearnley Fonds raised Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Golar LNG in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, DNB Markets raised Golar LNG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.88.

Golar LNG Stock Performance

Shares of Golar LNG stock traded up $0.15 on Friday, hitting $40.77. The stock had a trading volume of 424,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,465,073. Golar LNG has a 52-week low of $29.29 and a 52-week high of $44.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $4.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,359.45 and a beta of 0.56. The company's 50 day moving average price is $40.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.51.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 6.82% and a net margin of 1.04%. The business had revenue of $63.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.90 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Golar LNG will post 1.39 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Golar LNG

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GLNG. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 358.9% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 647 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 906.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,462 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 3,118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Golar LNG during the 4th quarter worth approximately $207,000. 92.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.