Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) Short Interest Update

Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,680,000 shares, an increase of 46.0% from the March 15th total of 3,890,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,630,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 6.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on GLNG. Fearnley Fonds upgraded Golar LNG from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. StockNews.com raised Golar LNG to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. DNB Markets downgraded Golar LNG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Golar LNG from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.13.

Golar LNG Trading Up 2.2 %

GLNG stock opened at $38.13 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $36.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.75. Golar LNG has a 12-month low of $24.42 and a 12-month high of $44.36. The company has a market capitalization of $3.99 billion, a PE ratio of 272.38 and a beta of 0.47.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 208.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Golar LNG by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 10,354 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $438,000 after buying an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC increased its holdings in shares of Golar LNG by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 5,995 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Golar LNG by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in Golar LNG by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,996 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Golar LNG during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.21% of the company’s stock.

Golar LNG Company Profile

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.