Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $51.1250.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GLNG. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of Golar LNG from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $56.00 price target on shares of Golar LNG in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th.

Golar LNG Price Performance

Shares of Golar LNG stock opened at $56.78 on Tuesday. Golar LNG has a 52-week low of $35.02 and a 52-week high of $57.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.72 and a beta of 0.06. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.70 and a 200-day moving average of $44.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a current ratio of 2.55.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The shipping company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Golar LNG had a net margin of 16.69% and a return on equity of 6.24%. The company had revenue of $132.81 million during the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Golar LNG will post 0.58 EPS for the current year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio is 156.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GLNG. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Golar LNG by 253.7% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,306,379 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $85,821,000 after purchasing an additional 1,654,353 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Golar LNG in the 3rd quarter worth about $56,574,000. Rokos Capital Management LLP bought a new position in shares of Golar LNG in the 1st quarter worth about $63,293,000. Verbena Value LP bought a new position in shares of Golar LNG in the 4th quarter worth about $38,497,000. Finally, Clearline Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Golar LNG by 172.6% in the 4th quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 1,067,153 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $39,709,000 after acquiring an additional 675,744 shares in the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Golar LNG Company Profile

Golar LNG Ltd. is a leading owner and operator of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and floating infrastructure. The company specializes in the transportation of LNG on long-term and spot charters for major energy firms around the world. In addition to shipping, Golar LNG has broadened its services to include project development and the conversion of existing carriers into Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) and Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) vessels.

Since pioneering the first purpose-built FLNG conversion project, Golar LNG has been at the forefront of offshore gas monetization.